Taiwan

I love Taiwan. So many places yet unexplored, foremost of which is the East Coast and the central mountain ranges. Good food and good friends :D

Cute display outside a store selling all sorts of Halloween outfits. Saw some ang mohs poking around in there too.

Cultural performance

Spotted this cute wedding figurine on a car. Check out the bride's gown!

We went to 泡脚 for free. Very nice atmosphere with all the old folk sitting around.

Siberian husky!

They wrap 3 flavours of ice cream （red bean, yam and pineapple) and a bunch of peanut shavings in a thin wrapping. Yummy!

The huge peanut block

The northeast coast of Taiwan really resembles the Californian coast!

First trip up to Yangmingshan National Park, I met these 3 interesting oldies and we sang karaoke for SGD$0.50 per song in the mountains.

Only funny if you can read Chinese

What a local market looks like

菱角, looks remarkably like a bull's head. You crack open the shell and eat the flesh, which has a consistency similar to chestnuts.

Produce! Taiwan's typhoon made all the veggie prices go up.

Second Trip to Yangmingshan National Park

Its really quite a beautiful place if the weather is fine. In fact its my favourite place in Taipei.

Along the path from the bus station to the Visitor's Center

Special flagstone

Signpost at the top of the highest mountain in Taipei, 七星山 or Seven Star Mountain

小油坑，where the smell of rotten eggs wafts through the air

Geog students look! Fumarole!

The water was warm...

View from the vantage point outside the 小油坑 Visitor Center

Taiwan's version of autumn foliage? I asked my friend and she said the leaves don't really turn red there.

Jiantan MRT Station - access point for Yangmingshan, as well as Shihlin Night Market. A mountain hike followed by some 小吃s: perfect!

At 猫空, a good spot to drink tea and look at Taipei

Taipei 101 in the distance

At 溪头，a pretty place in the mountains around 台中

Taken in a cubicle in a public restroom haha

Central mountain ranges of Taiwan

New York and Boston

An altogether very rushed trip but I enjoyed it, particularly Rent and meeting up with tons of old friends.

The M&M Store in Times Square

A whole wall of M&Ms! I like the purple and pink ones

Me and Ed

Me and Tricia


Boston

Tricia making dumplings at Val's house; she's very good at it!

Val making her claypot rice

MIT, an altogether depressing school where nerds are everywhere


Harvard is a lot prettier

Back to New York...

Pre-Rent dinner at Dallas BBQ

William and me


The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Artists line the walkway to the Met

Grand entrance


Mini Sphinx

The Apple flagship store on 5th Ave - super crowded

FAO Schwarz - really an amazing toy store

The glitziest McDonald's sign ever

Battery Park, where the ferries to the Statue of Liberty depart but we didn't go cos of lack of time. Really foggy day too so couldn't see her well :(

The famous Rockefeller ice-skating rink on its first day of operation

At the top of the observation deck at Rockefeller (tip: nicer and not as crowded as the Empire State Building)

Shopping in New York was of course fantastic and I highly recommend Century 21 if you ever go there :)