Taiwan Escapade 2012: Part 2 - Kaohsiung Day 1

:) I'm trying to at least post 1 part of my Taiwan trip everyday now because I know I would be too lazy to post by the time 1 month is over. *LOL!*

So here we are, part 2 of my Taiwan Escapade: Kaohsiung Day 1. 

By the time we reached Kaohsiung, it's already 5:30pm (already super dark, similar to 7:30pm). We hurried and made our way to Kindness Hotel Xiong Zhong (next to the Kaohsiung Main Station (TRA)). From the HSR Station, you need to transfer to their MRT. Thus, we bought a 2-days Kaohsiung 畅游卡 (NT$300/pax). This card comes with unlimited bus / train / ferry rides for 2 days.

You can easily find the hotel and though it's cheap and great location, the room is super small. I didn't take much photos because it's just like any typical hotel room just that it's a bit too small for my liking. However, it's clean and tidy (which is my top priority for a hotel stay). 

By the time we're done with changing clothes (it's hot in Kaohsiung, about 27C!!!), we're hungry to the max! So the first stop is at Liouhe Night Market (六合夜市). It's considered one of the popular night market in Kaohsiung, so do expect lots of tourists (of course there's local there as well). 

To get to 六合夜市, alight at Formosa Boulevard Station (R10) and take Exit 11. 

Pit stop at Formosa Boulevard Station first! :) 

:) One of the attraction in Kaohsiung, and it's inside the Station. So snap a shot as it's along the way! :)

:) 六合夜市 is just outside of the station, very easily accessible

One of the must-have in 六合夜市 is the 郑老牌 papaya milk, recommended by quite a number of Singaporeans. Of course, being typical Singaporeans like me, I'll definitely go and try it out! *winks!*

 

:) And yes, I wasn't disappointed at all! :) It's sweet and thick, but super filling, so drink slowly so you can enjoy more snacks at the market. 

:) Full of people at the Night Market, mostly tourists

It was quite crowded at the night market, but the road is quite spacious and lots of bins along the way for you to throw your rubbish as you walked down the streets trying out the food. 

After a few snack bites, we're super duper full and decided to go for a stroll at the Love River (爱河).

To get to 爱河, alight at Orange Line: Yanchengpu Station (O2) and walk about 5 minutes.

First impression of 爱河: Similar to Singapore's Clarke Quay. The River is in the middle and on both sides are pubs, restaurants and roadside stalls. 

 

The night scenery is good, and it's very cooling to take a long stroll along the River. 

Ended the night with a long walk back to the Station. Though the day is short, we're still quite tired from all the traveling since early morning. A good night sleep to start off the 2nd day at Cijin Island, about 10 minutes ferry ride from Sizihwan Pier.

Back for more tomorrow! :)

Taiwan Escapade 2012: Part 1 - Taoyuan Airport to Kaohsiung

:) 2 weeks ago, I started my 8-days Taiwan Free & Easy with Mr. I must say it was a definite unforgettable trip for us and lots of beautiful memories captured. 

We booked our tickets in early July through Cathay Pacific. I'm not sure whether it was a promotion, but I managed to get our return tickets to Taipei for SGD550/pax. I say this is a good deal! :) Jetstar was offering about SGD500 without any luggage check-in. 

The catch is that you have to transit at Hong Kong Airport. It's about an hour of transit time so we shopped around HK for awhile. The only time wasted is the taking off and landing. However, we still think that's is quite reasonable. 

 Breakfast meal served on board flight to Hong Kong.

 

 Beautiful sea as we get nearer and nearer to Taiwan! :)

We reached around 2pm at Taoyuan Airport. Since there's no time difference between Singapore and Taiwan, we were ahead of time as per our itinerary. 

Our trip will start from South, Kaohsiung and all the way back to the North, stopping along the way at Taichung and finally Taipei. We pre-booked our High Speed Rail (HSR) tickets online before flying off as we're afraid there won't be any tickets left due to peak weekend period.

To get to the HSR - Taoyuan Station, you need to take the Shuttle bus service 705 by Ubus (green color bus) from Airport Terminal.

 There's lot of signage around the Airport to guide you to the Shuttle bus. 

Bus 705 will take you all the way to HSR - Taoyuan Station. 

705 is operated by Ubus Service. 

You can either pay by using the Taiwan Ezlink card, or cash at the bus counter. 

It's NT$30/pax for a single trip.

Trip is about 20 minutes. So do take in consideration when you purchase your tickets online. If I didn't remember wrongly, if you purchase your tickets in advance, you get to enjoy a 10% discount. :) So book early! :)

Our HSR tickets! :)

:) Once you reached the station, you can collect your tickets at either those vending machine or approach the information counter. Lucky we went for the latter as the officer helped us to change our tickets to an earlier timing and also it's an Express train meaning that it doesn't stop at all station but selective. The whole journey from Taoyuan to Zuoying (HSR Station at Kaohsiung) took around an hour half. 

 While waiting for the train, some shots to kick start our trip! :)

HSR train! :) It's my first time on board this super duper fast train! :)

The good thing about HSR is that it's super fast (it's the bullet train!), and it's so smooth! :) It's even more comfortable as compared to the Airplane, especially if you're sitting near the engine! *LOL!* And the train is so quiet (I really mean it's Q.U.I.E.T!) that we have to whisper on the train if someone speaks a bit louder you can hear him. -___-""

**Do take note that these train is always very punctual, so it's better to be there earlier as they don't wait for any passengers.**

Found out seats, settled down, and off we go to Kaohsiung! :) Stay tuned!

Just finished 仁显王后的男人in 1 day! ^^

:) I just spent 1 whole day watching the 16-episodes of this Korean Drama - 仁显王后的男人, aka Queen In-Hyeon' Man. 

Starring Ji Hyun Woo & Yoo In Na

Sounds crazy, but then this drama is quite addictive! *LOL!* The first episode is quite slow, and it kept on going back and forth the past and present. But subsequent episodes starts to show how this guy from the past can travel 300 years ahead to the present and how the lovebirds began their love story. Am glad that the main guy character is someone with wits, and he thinks through everything before acting.

I'm not really a big fan of time traveling show, because usually I can't understand all the logic behind why people can travel past time. But this drama is very clear, it's all because of a 符咒 (Amulet). For someone slow like me, this plot is very easy to follow and logical to understand.

For a guy who lived 300 years ago, his sense of fashion is damn good. HAHAHAHA! Everytime he came back to the present, he had to change his clothes and bammm, it's always that good, that nice on him! 

Lots of kissing scene in the show, which is why they are actual couple in reality. HAHAHAHA! I mean that amount of kisses is enough to trigger some fireworks! :) Anyway, they look good together, so yes, it's good news to hear that they're both together now. Certain scenes are so sweet that my goosebumps are all over. *LOL!*

Now I'm quite interested in Korean History too! HAHAHAHA! It seems like there's a lot of plot against the officials during the old dynasty. -.-"
  

“So the real fantasy in this drama is not the talisman or the time-slip but the absolutely perfect man named Kim Boong-Do.” - writer Song Jae Jung

 
Definitely a 5/5 for this drama, so find some time and watch it! :)

Bangkok Shopping Spree 19th - 22nd July 2012 (Day 1)

:) This post was delayed for more than a month. Had been inputting bits and pieces everyday to complete it (but just Day 1, LOL!). 

It has been 10 years since I last stepped into Bangkok. I remembered my virgin trip there was with my mum and we stayed for 5 days with her 表嫂. There wasn't much sight-seeing done because mum said that Bangkok is shopping paradise and so for the whole trip I went shopping with her. Super tiring because I'm just 15! HAHAHA! And I don't get to buy whatever I see because budget limited. LOL! The amount of baht I had was all sponsored by my Dad.

Anyway, so for this trip, it's all fully covered by MYSELF! *YAY!* I'm a financially independent girl now so I was looking forward to this trip a lot! :):):)  

Enough of 废话, here are some of the highlights from the trip! :)

Day 1: Singapore Changi Airport - BKK Suvarnabhumi Airport.- Baiyoke Sky Hotel - MBK Center 

:) Took the 2nd Air Asia Flight since it's only 2 hours long and by the time we reached BKK, the timing will be just nice for us to check in the hotel too. Flight was much better than expected because there was quite a number of  feedback that Air Asia Flight ain't that good as compared to Jetstar. 

:) In-flight advertisement is a good way to earn some profits for budget airlines. 

BFF & me looking excited for the 4D3N trip! ^_^_^_^ (I believe this is our 2nd overseas trip together!)

Long queue before we can check out from the custom, but lucky our luggage is already out and waiting for us.

Our first group shot together, and I only knew the girls (behind) for just 3 hours? HAHAHAHA!  

After checking out from the Airport, we got to find our way to the hotel. We decided to take the Airport Express followed by the MRT to our hotel instead of cabbing downtown. The traffic in BKK is not that good (or should I say BAD?) so taking the subway might be much faster than car. And of course, a bit more cheaper! :) 

:) Airport Express Platform

The Airport Express Tokens (TB90 / pax). Keep this tokens as you'll need them when you exit to the MRT station. 

The girls waiting for the Express (which is about 20 minutes interval). 

For me, I felt that it's quite a long wait as compared to SG's MRT. *LOL!* Maybe it's because I hate to wait for train, had my share of waiting almost everyday in SG rushing to work. -___-"

The train is very empty when it arrives and when it leaves the station. I think we girls & the driver are the only people on board. *LOL!* Think it in a positive way, we just chartered a private train to go downtown. *WAHAHAHAHA!*

The interior of the Airport Express

The bad thing about traveling on public transport is that you need to carry your own luggage and move around and squeezing with people too. HAHAHAHA! Anyway, we brought a almost-empty luggage there so it's not that heavy too.

:) The girls on board the MRT to our Hotel, squeezing with other people

I got the feeling these Thais are thinking why these ladies are taking the MRT with their big luggages instead of cabbing down. *LOL!*

Street of Bangkok, see the number of cars! :)

Found our way to Baiyoke Sky Hotel, tallest building in BKK. My sister told me it's quite an old hotel but it's cheap and it's near to Platinum Mall (shopping paradise) so we decided to go for it. And boy, we didn't regretted! :):):) 

We got free upgrade for 2 rooms to Junior suite from STANDARD room for all 3 nights! *WHEEE!* HAHAHAHAHAHA! How lucky are we? Room is really big, so it can be quite scary at night when one is showering while the other is in the living room. LOL! 

After settling down and changed to comfy clothes, we started our 4D3N shopping spree! ^_^_^_^!!!

1st stop: MBK Center! We decided to walk there as from the map it's quite near, and I'm on roaming services so if we really do get lost, we still have google map to help us. :)

On a overhead bridge, see the number of cars on the road! >.<"""

Walking through these small alleys to get to MBK Center! :)

Alright, so I must say that on map it does look near but walking there is definitely a No-No! HAHAHAHA! We had to cross a small river which is super dirty and passed by some shop houses cum private houses and people just stared at us. Still ok to walk in the daylight but at night strongly discouraged. Cab is still safer! :)

Tadah! M.B.K Center! :):):) 

There's Tokyu Departmental store, NaRaYa (Thailand Local Brand) and a lot of other shops ranging from cosmetics to clothes, shoes, accessories, bags, etc. Ohh, not to forget there's also a maze level where you can find all the phone accessories. We almost got lost inside and couldn't get out. *LOL!*

Tokyu Departmental Store - Similar to our Takashimaya Store :)

NaRaYa - :) Lots of girly stuff, good for souvenirs *YAY!*

Shopped till super late, and by 9pm the shops were all closing. So early! And in the end we got to settle with roadside food for our dinner. LOL! But it's only first day, we already got a lot of loots! *WINKS!*

A good night of rest, because Day 2 is going to be spent at Platinum Mall.

P.S: It's a must go place in BKK, because it's full of surprises! Stay tuned for Day 2.

Sweating like mad *phew!*

:) Spoiler for you guys! WAHAHAHAHA!

Team photo we took from the last rehearsal! 

We're supposed to be acting funky, but in the end these are the poses that we could come out with! *LOL!* I thought that it turn out quite nice though...considering we've already dance for the last 3 hours. And those specs that we're wearing are actually 3D glasses! *LOL!* Arnel has a 3D home system at home which explains the glasses. Gotta find some time to get some funky glasses before Saturday comes too! :)

*I NEED TIME!*

We have learnt all the steps, now just to make sure we can move along with the music and also the most importantly to dance together (which is the hardest!). -___-""

Let's work hard this week and Saturday we shall all have fun together! :) :) :)

Super side note: 

I'm tired from working for this D&D. I rather be just a small role in it than being the Programmer. Yes, I need to make decisions, I need to make the call, but in the end does the boss listen? Seldom not, and I have to do it once again. If only I could just walk off and let him decide everything.

Someone told me to listen to others' ideas but really have you listen to mine? Is your ideas always the best? Ohh and to correct you on something, not every quarrel will bring you closer to each other again. It's just like if you accidentally knock your glass vase against the wall. The crack will always be there. I guess our friendship ain't that strong as I thought, because after that last time, I seemed to be further away than you thought.

Sunset at Lorong Halus :)

Great start to the packed weekend! :):):) Joined the SSMC Photography club on a journey to the wetlands to shoot the sunset! 

Went there as a total noob, but came back with valuable lesson learnt! :) Indeed, never be afraid to take the 1st shot, you never know what you will captured with your camera! :):):) 

Thanks to Keith for lending me his old tripod! *LOL!* Without his tripod I won't be able to capture these shots! :):):) Maybe it's time to consider investing in one, and find a day make a trip down to Chinese Garden to shoot some sunset! :))

Of course not forgetting the expert Photograhper! Andrew helped a lot during the shoot, making sure we set our camera settings correctly before playing around with the different settings. :) I did learn a lot from him!

Here's some of the shots I personally <3! ^_^_^_^! The theme is the bridge. So every shot we took must have the bridge in it. :)

Different color give a different feeling.

And it's now then I know what's called the blue hour! *HAHAHA!* Well, I'm gonna give another try next Friday! Hopefully this time round the Sun will be out and not hiding behind the clouds! ^_^_^_^_^_^!

I can shuffle! :):):):):)

Just spent an hour learning the dance moves for the upcoming D&D performance. Initially just wanted to help out for the video part, but turned out that shuffling can be really fun! :)

HAHAHAHA! And so I agree to perform on the actual day too! *WHEE!* Hopefully I have the time to change before dancing on stage. If not, I guess I'll be wearing my gown and dancing in high heels! =.=||

2 more weeks to the actual event!~ Though excitement is in the air, I can definitely foresee a super duper busy week because of the endless rehearsal. Now I can't wait to see my gown (specially designed and made for myself! ^_^!) and hopefully, I'm not disappointed! :)) Yes, I totally leave all the design work to the tailor. *OppS!*

Once the gown is done, shoes is next on the list! :) I <3 shopping for shoes! HAHHAHA! I guess it's every girls' hobby too! 

Ok, I'm super unglam now (all the sweats on the face, clothes sticking to the body, hair so messy I don't think I can comb it through), so here's an old photo that shows how happy I am RIGHT NOW! 

 My purple-hood from McDonald's latest Hello Kitty Collections! :)

:) Quote from Jay's song "让自己快乐快乐这才叫做意义".

I couldn't agree more with this sentence. Though I'm positive, but sometimes girls do get emotional and cry for no reason. From now on, gotta remind myself only to cry when necessary. *^_^!* I'm going to be a stronger girl, someone worthy of loving me more.

Have a great work week ahead everyone! :) 

1st "overseas" trip with Qianwen! :)

As promised, here's a brief post on my first Batam trip with Qianwen! :) 

We got this package from the Deals.com (again!) and it's quite convenient caused I can make our hotel reservation & ferry booking via online. Save me a lot of time, just need to reply email here and there! :)

Booked our room at Harris @ Batam Center, which is just 5 minutes walk from the Ferry Terminal. So it's quite safe for us girls to navigate to and fro the terminal. Opposite our hotel is the Mega mall, so we can go shop anytime we like! *HOHO!* 

It's a real getaway because not much we can do there. And it's not like both of us can just grab a cab and move around. Anyway, the surprise we had on this trip was met my colleague in the supermarket! *LOL!* 

We got invited by them out for dinner with their whole gang and after that went in search for a nightclub. HAHAHA! Seriously, this is the first time I went overseas to a nightclub. Nothing fancy just a place with live band and beer. 

HAHAHAHA! Lots of laughter in the van, and best of all, we made some new friends that night! :)

:) Now I can't wait for July trip with Qianwen again! It's going to be purely a SHOPPING SPREE! LOL!

Memorable Weekend

Super packed weekend! Or should I say my weekend started since Thursday? :)

Thursday: Checked in chalet - Work - RWS party - back to chalet - Sleep

Friday: Wake up (almost late for work!) - Work - FULL OF ISSUES! - Chalet (to collect the BBQ food & grabbed some 15 minutes of power nap! *SHIOK!*

Started the evening BBQ when colleagues started to arrive. Lucky we prepared earlier if not 大家 is going to get super hungry! And surprisingly I don't feel hungry at all (must be all the smoke). I didn't ate anything at all. HAHAHA! Wii-ed with the kids and after that mahjong-ed till wee hours. I'm not the one playing, I'm the scorer. Sleeping, watching MI:4 and getting 吵醒 every time the guys finished 1 round. -_-""

Slept at 4am. Woke up at 4 hours later from the insistent loud knocking on the door! *AHHHHHH!*

Just don't understand why the guys can wake up and watch TV when they only slept for 4 hours only?! Anyway, went back to sleep and lucky Mr Lin called and gave me a morning call so that I can prepare for check out! :)

Checked out at 10am and rushed down to Harbor-front to catch our ferry to Batam! First trip overseas (literally) with BFF! ^_^!!! Lucky Mr Lin fetched me down cause I was running late.

Batam trip started and it was a enjoyable 2D1N with BFF & some new friends! Funny bunch of friends and I'm really envious of them! :) 

Shall post more on the trip in the next post! :)