Funny thing happened this past weekend. It was suppose to be relatively quiet with me attempting to read for my in-training exam. Saturday night turned out to be something different.
Dinner with people I know from church but once I got to Wonton Gourmet, it wasn't only people from church but other Chinese people from other churches. Dinner was fun, conversations were random and just plain having a good time.
After dinner, debated between bowling or hanging out at Ferdi's place. We ended up at Ferdi's place, where I met even more Chinese people who are PhD or med students at Case. How bizarre. It just goes to show that us Chinese will find each other in some ways and connections go far and wide.
Wonton Gourmet is good per Midwest standard. It's fairly authentic. Would totally warrant a next visit.
I found out that I sucked at Rockband, esp at drum. Oh well, serves me right for not being a big gaming fan until med school. Will definitely need to get into the Wii and xbox.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, February 07, 2011
Taiwan / Chinese New Year
Yippee.... My first real vacation since starting residency.
Chinese New Year's Album
Of course, leaving Cleveland about 2-3 days after another snowstorm, hoping to go to DC for my connecting flight. That did not happened. Snowstorm is a common occurrence and I know that unless the temp freeze, airports usually keep going. I got delayed by flight maintenence and have to switch my flight to Chicago then to Tokyo. I don't have a problem with that since international flights usually have more priority in take-offs. Chicago airport was nice, they even have a sushi bar in the middle of the airport with floor to ceiling windows on one side. Totally could see the area being gorgeous on good days. Met up with my brother in Tokyo for the final stretch to Taipei. No delays at all. But it was too long of a flight. I think the grand total flying to Taipei, it took me 22hrs to land in Taipei and another 1hr to go through customs and get my bags. We were schedule to arrive at 10:30pm and we didn't come out until 11:30pm. My poor aunt who was picking us up thought she missed us. haha. Originally, my parents would have to wait for us but they ended up being delayed so they didn't wait as long as they thought they would. :)
We got to the condo around 1am then just hang out a bit before getting ready to sleep. The funny thing was I was exhausted, delirious but still had the energy to play to my 2nd cousin (baby of my cousin). I even slept through most of my flight. That shows how exhausted I was on CORS. Baby Colin was too cute and adorable. We definitely got lots of pics of him.
Day 1 - had our first of many family meals with my aunts and uncle and cousins and cousin-in-laws. We went to Thai/Vietnamnese buffet. It was yummy. Totally forgot how much walking there is in Taiwan or the use of subway. Love it better than US transport. As you can tell, I don't like driving. Ha. Then we met up with my mom and brother's friend, Jessica. They met her at the last year's cultural camp back home. I got my haircut and they went for coffee. I just had them trim my hair and pretty much just re-shape it. SalonBlu totally butchered it a while back. They are not my fav but much better and cheaped that SalonBlu. Then we all went to dinner at a Shanghai restaurant. It was more of my mom and brother chatting with them and my dad and I were just along for the ride. Good times.
Day 2 - It was a slow day. We went to Taiwan style dim sum then my parents had to do their official paperwork and whatnot. Then we went out with Kai's friend to XimenTing and other night market area. This was the night where my parents and my aunt babysat Colin. We were joking to see who was more tired, the adults or Colin. The minute we opened the door, Colin crawled up to Ka-Man and started blubbering, basically complaining to us how awful the adults were to him. It was hilarious, too bad we weren't able to capture it on camera. At this point, I was still tired and still could sleep, but there's really not enough time to sleep.
Day 3 - New Year's Eve
We decided to go to the International Flora Expo but first I was determined that I would at least get my Taiwanese breakfast. We went to the famous area for the soy milk, which happed to be where my mom grew up. Yummy, definitely better than any in US and much fresher. Even the fried stick was lighter and crisper. Then we took the subway to the expo. As from the pics, there were many flowers. I think I have fallen in love with the Calla lillies, Tulips and Angel in Water (Chinese narcissus or Shui Xian Hua). The rest of the visit were just some goofy times for us. Then we went to my oldest uncle's place for the New Year's Eve dinner. Of course, we've got the adult and kids table, but the food was good too. The shrimps, oh my. And the homemade dumplings, handmade wraps and fillings. The best. That's always the best of New Year for me, the dumplings. When we were younger, my grandma would put money inside the dumplings then my mom would put peanuts and dates that would represent certain amount. Oh the fun times.
Day 4 - New Years
We went to MaoKong Gondola, which is a trail up the mountain and able to look at the Taipei from up high. We chose the car with the clear floor so we can look down but the wait is a bit longer, so we just walked around a bit. There were some cute shops around and lots to play around. Great for kids, but it definitely made feel stupid. Oh well. My mom is scared of heights so part of the trip up was interesting with my mom making funny faces once whe realized that there was small window that opens up. Haha. I think my brother broke every single rule that was posted on the ride, no standing, distribute weight evenly. After that we went to Taipei 101. It just basically a mall with increasing expensive shops as you move up the floors. So went to the basement and got food to eat. It was yummy. That night we went to ShiLin night market. I went before but it was not as packed as that night. We were all literally front to back tight and just couldn't move. It was incredible. We pretty much ate as we walked. My fav was the stinky tofu. But there were so many different food that we would never have been able to finish if there weren't six of us to share and try. There was a stand that sold different flavors of squid. Everything was mouthwatering. I ended up buying earrings, they are cute.
Day 5 - We went to visit my mom's best friend in Touyuan. Very nice house and they also have an outdoor tub for bath. Interesting. Overall, it was just a chill time of hanging out and meeting my mom's best friends.
Day 6 - Last Day
We went to Din Tai Fung in Sogo dept store for lunch. It was yummy, better than the one in LA. Colin was cracking us up. He's just always searching for food. His mouth would open and follow either the chopsticks or the spoon for food. If you don't feed him fast enough, he would whine. Too funny. Always our source of entertainment. We went shoe shopping in Sogo, I bought a cute sparkly pair of heels, not very high, just very casual. Then we all just sat around waiting for dinnertime and playing with Colin. Finally we went for our last family dinner. Just all having a good time. So sad to be leaving the next morning and hating packing. The hi-light of packing was my aunt putting Colin into one of our luggage and him climbing out and trying to climb back in. HAHAHAHA. Classic pic.
Day 7- leaving - Chicago fiasco
Got to airport and our flight to Tokyo was delay so I missed my DC flight and have to get on the flight to Chicago. At that point I knew there was going to be a problem coming back on time. So no problem until I got to Chicago. Arrived in Chicago around 2:30pm then found out flight to Cleveland was delayed until 7:30pm. I was like ok, just going to be about 3 hrs later than expected, so I just took a nap at the airport. Then we were told, flight is delayed until 8pm because of plane maintenence. So I just started to watch the Super Bowl with the people on our flight. It was entertaining cuz the personnel and half of the flight were rooting for the Steelers and the other half of flight was rooting for the Packers. Of course, our flight was just kept being delayed with excuses of missing crew members, waiting for passengers, waiting for plane from the hangar. So finally we boarded after the the game around 10pm, then were told that one of the pilot has only 30min left on his duty hours and if we don't take off by then, we would have to de-plane. Well, guess what, even though we are priority for de-icing and take-off, we turned around and had to de-plane which took another hour since we were not expected to come back. Then waited for another hour for our voucher for hotel and ticket to get on the next flight back to Cleveland. By the time got to the room and ready to sleep it was 1am. I had just enough battery on my phone to text my brother, send email to Debi at work and copy a friend's number to let people know at work. That'll teach me to pack my charger in my checked bags. So finally got back to Cleveland around 10am then had to wait to see if my bags came on the first United flight. If not, then they would have to deliver my bags cuz it would be on the second flight, which they were. By the time I got home, it was noon. Time to take a nap and get ready for work the next day. The total for the return trip was about 32hrs of flying and waiting at the airport. Really irritated at United for the Chicago fiasco. They had more than enough time to sort it out but this had to happen. I do believe that this might be my last trip with United if I could help it.
Chinese New Year's Album
Of course, leaving Cleveland about 2-3 days after another snowstorm, hoping to go to DC for my connecting flight. That did not happened. Snowstorm is a common occurrence and I know that unless the temp freeze, airports usually keep going. I got delayed by flight maintenence and have to switch my flight to Chicago then to Tokyo. I don't have a problem with that since international flights usually have more priority in take-offs. Chicago airport was nice, they even have a sushi bar in the middle of the airport with floor to ceiling windows on one side. Totally could see the area being gorgeous on good days. Met up with my brother in Tokyo for the final stretch to Taipei. No delays at all. But it was too long of a flight. I think the grand total flying to Taipei, it took me 22hrs to land in Taipei and another 1hr to go through customs and get my bags. We were schedule to arrive at 10:30pm and we didn't come out until 11:30pm. My poor aunt who was picking us up thought she missed us. haha. Originally, my parents would have to wait for us but they ended up being delayed so they didn't wait as long as they thought they would. :)
We got to the condo around 1am then just hang out a bit before getting ready to sleep. The funny thing was I was exhausted, delirious but still had the energy to play to my 2nd cousin (baby of my cousin). I even slept through most of my flight. That shows how exhausted I was on CORS. Baby Colin was too cute and adorable. We definitely got lots of pics of him.
Day 1 - had our first of many family meals with my aunts and uncle and cousins and cousin-in-laws. We went to Thai/Vietnamnese buffet. It was yummy. Totally forgot how much walking there is in Taiwan or the use of subway. Love it better than US transport. As you can tell, I don't like driving. Ha. Then we met up with my mom and brother's friend, Jessica. They met her at the last year's cultural camp back home. I got my haircut and they went for coffee. I just had them trim my hair and pretty much just re-shape it. SalonBlu totally butchered it a while back. They are not my fav but much better and cheaped that SalonBlu. Then we all went to dinner at a Shanghai restaurant. It was more of my mom and brother chatting with them and my dad and I were just along for the ride. Good times.
Day 2 - It was a slow day. We went to Taiwan style dim sum then my parents had to do their official paperwork and whatnot. Then we went out with Kai's friend to XimenTing and other night market area. This was the night where my parents and my aunt babysat Colin. We were joking to see who was more tired, the adults or Colin. The minute we opened the door, Colin crawled up to Ka-Man and started blubbering, basically complaining to us how awful the adults were to him. It was hilarious, too bad we weren't able to capture it on camera. At this point, I was still tired and still could sleep, but there's really not enough time to sleep.
Day 3 - New Year's Eve
We decided to go to the International Flora Expo but first I was determined that I would at least get my Taiwanese breakfast. We went to the famous area for the soy milk, which happed to be where my mom grew up. Yummy, definitely better than any in US and much fresher. Even the fried stick was lighter and crisper. Then we took the subway to the expo. As from the pics, there were many flowers. I think I have fallen in love with the Calla lillies, Tulips and Angel in Water (Chinese narcissus or Shui Xian Hua). The rest of the visit were just some goofy times for us. Then we went to my oldest uncle's place for the New Year's Eve dinner. Of course, we've got the adult and kids table, but the food was good too. The shrimps, oh my. And the homemade dumplings, handmade wraps and fillings. The best. That's always the best of New Year for me, the dumplings. When we were younger, my grandma would put money inside the dumplings then my mom would put peanuts and dates that would represent certain amount. Oh the fun times.
Day 4 - New Years
We went to MaoKong Gondola, which is a trail up the mountain and able to look at the Taipei from up high. We chose the car with the clear floor so we can look down but the wait is a bit longer, so we just walked around a bit. There were some cute shops around and lots to play around. Great for kids, but it definitely made feel stupid. Oh well. My mom is scared of heights so part of the trip up was interesting with my mom making funny faces once whe realized that there was small window that opens up. Haha. I think my brother broke every single rule that was posted on the ride, no standing, distribute weight evenly. After that we went to Taipei 101. It just basically a mall with increasing expensive shops as you move up the floors. So went to the basement and got food to eat. It was yummy. That night we went to ShiLin night market. I went before but it was not as packed as that night. We were all literally front to back tight and just couldn't move. It was incredible. We pretty much ate as we walked. My fav was the stinky tofu. But there were so many different food that we would never have been able to finish if there weren't six of us to share and try. There was a stand that sold different flavors of squid. Everything was mouthwatering. I ended up buying earrings, they are cute.
Day 5 - We went to visit my mom's best friend in Touyuan. Very nice house and they also have an outdoor tub for bath. Interesting. Overall, it was just a chill time of hanging out and meeting my mom's best friends.
Day 6 - Last Day
We went to Din Tai Fung in Sogo dept store for lunch. It was yummy, better than the one in LA. Colin was cracking us up. He's just always searching for food. His mouth would open and follow either the chopsticks or the spoon for food. If you don't feed him fast enough, he would whine. Too funny. Always our source of entertainment. We went shoe shopping in Sogo, I bought a cute sparkly pair of heels, not very high, just very casual. Then we all just sat around waiting for dinnertime and playing with Colin. Finally we went for our last family dinner. Just all having a good time. So sad to be leaving the next morning and hating packing. The hi-light of packing was my aunt putting Colin into one of our luggage and him climbing out and trying to climb back in. HAHAHAHA. Classic pic.
Day 7- leaving - Chicago fiasco
Got to airport and our flight to Tokyo was delay so I missed my DC flight and have to get on the flight to Chicago. At that point I knew there was going to be a problem coming back on time. So no problem until I got to Chicago. Arrived in Chicago around 2:30pm then found out flight to Cleveland was delayed until 7:30pm. I was like ok, just going to be about 3 hrs later than expected, so I just took a nap at the airport. Then we were told, flight is delayed until 8pm because of plane maintenence. So I just started to watch the Super Bowl with the people on our flight. It was entertaining cuz the personnel and half of the flight were rooting for the Steelers and the other half of flight was rooting for the Packers. Of course, our flight was just kept being delayed with excuses of missing crew members, waiting for passengers, waiting for plane from the hangar. So finally we boarded after the the game around 10pm, then were told that one of the pilot has only 30min left on his duty hours and if we don't take off by then, we would have to de-plane. Well, guess what, even though we are priority for de-icing and take-off, we turned around and had to de-plane which took another hour since we were not expected to come back. Then waited for another hour for our voucher for hotel and ticket to get on the next flight back to Cleveland. By the time got to the room and ready to sleep it was 1am. I had just enough battery on my phone to text my brother, send email to Debi at work and copy a friend's number to let people know at work. That'll teach me to pack my charger in my checked bags. So finally got back to Cleveland around 10am then had to wait to see if my bags came on the first United flight. If not, then they would have to deliver my bags cuz it would be on the second flight, which they were. By the time I got home, it was noon. Time to take a nap and get ready for work the next day. The total for the return trip was about 32hrs of flying and waiting at the airport. Really irritated at United for the Chicago fiasco. They had more than enough time to sort it out but this had to happen. I do believe that this might be my last trip with United if I could help it.
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