Endless Adventures

Hello everyone! About a year ago this month, I went sightseeing for one day to NYC. What I liked about NY is the tall Christmas tree decorated every year with beautiful lights and colorful ornaments bigger than my head! I just adore Christmas, the bright colors, decorations, and cozy slippers. Christmas always make me feel joyful.  I went to the  Rockefeller Center to see the lights and also went to Bryant Park to see the tall tree with a small outdoor market. The walking distance between these two locations is not that far. Keep in mind that the Rockefeller Center is crowded at night. Photo credit to Mei Mackleer. This photo was taken a year ago. This is my dog wearing the string lights before we started decorating the tree! (Dec 2017) I went to Downtown Holiday Market in Washington D.C. At the end of the walk in the market, I enjoyed the authentic German drink from a company called The Taste of Germany: German Foods. It tasted like hot apple cider and I am not sure what

Hello everyone.. H a p p y H a l l o w e e n ! I'm feeling a bit spooky! By the way, I recently just finished watching  Practical Magic ! I never get tired of watching it! The theme is sisterly love . A famous line from the movie (credit to GIPHY) 1.  Pillsbury 's ghost shape sugar cookies: The company also sells sugar cookies with Christmas tree symbol printed on them. The box comes with 24 cookies and is fun to eat them! 2. I never tried Pumpkin Pie Spice snap cookies before so I was excited to see that my dad purchased them from the local grocery store. I ate ginger snap cookies before; I was surprised that Stauffer's company made a pumpkin version of it! I thought it tasted slightly similar to a ginger snap cookie, but you can taste the distinct familiar taste of pumpkin spice! 3. A new delicacy that I never tasted before is Pillsbury 's pumpkin spice  cinnamon buns ! You can purchase it at the grocery store. My initial thought was that it was go

I can't believe this summer flew by quick, but I am excited for Autumn. Autumn equinox makes me happy because I get to see colorful leaves, drink warm apple cider, the arrival of pumpkin pie and Fall seasonal decorations at Target and the local grocery store, and Hallmark's adorable seasonal cards, orange and brown wreath to put on the wall, fake pumpkins to place in front of your home, hayrides, pumpkin picking, the smell in the air of "fresh and light breeze" and many more! Here is a list of what you should do for Fall! After all, the year is almost over so why not? 1. Change your iPhone's wallpaper to a wallpaper of bright orange leaves falling or bright white and orange pumpkins with the slogan "Hello Fall!" or "It's Fall, y'all!" 2. Read lifestyle or fashion bloggers' articles about recipes, outfits, bucket lists, book lists, etc. that are related to Fall. 3. Find a recipe online to learn how to make pumpkin pie or peca

Hello everyone! Who's excited that it's Autumn season!? Can you believe that it's the first day of October? With midterm exams coming up and the cold weather approaching, it seems like there is so much to do yet so little time. I am excited for October because I am a fan of horror movies and Halloween decor.  Almost every year, we bake delicious sugar cookies with colorful print of a pumpkin or ghost on the cookies. I still haven't purchased the pumpkin spice candles so I must go to the mall ASAP! I created a Fall bucket list last week and I already accomplished some of the fun tasks. For instance, I purchased a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks  with whipped cream. I must admit it tasted a bit too sweet for me. I like coffee with french vanilla or caramel. Still, it was fun to try it! I will share my Fall bucket list with y'all soon! Photo credit to Mei Mackleer If you want a romantic movie that takes place in October (hint: it's about two witches!)

Hello everyone! Happy Autumn Equinox! I can't wait to drink warm apple cider and smell delicious pumpkin pie candle. I am so ready to go to the pumpkin patch! I love seeing the leaves changing colors, feel a light breeze, Halloween, and cute Autumn seasonal home decor at Target or Hallmark !  Today I will talk about Mama Inca , a Peruvian restaurant owned by a Taiwanese woman and her Peruvian husband. Everyone in Taiwan loves good food and there are many restaurants in Taiwan that offer not just Taiwanese meals, but also Italian pasta, French pastry, and even Swedish breakfast! Some of these restaurants are owned by foreigners who moved to Taiwan.  The couple of Mama Inca have a young son who carries the plates to customers. He is fluent in Spanish and Chinese. I tried talking to him in English and he replied in Spanish. In translation, he said "We don't know English." I was the first customer to arrive just as the restaurant opened and I saw the little boy's

When I was on vacation in Taiwan, I went to a tea house/restaurant in Miaoli County, Taiwan (about 1 hour from Taipei by car). I never thought that I would ever eat tea leaves in my life, but I actually did! The plate comes with what I think is matcha powder. It tasted slightly bitter, but interesting!  This is perfect for those adventurers who want to try this and for vegans. The waitress gave us cups of tea which of course tasted just right. The tea helps you digest the food. Taken from my Snapchat album I also ordered waffles with matcha ice cream and strawberry ice cream that come with apple slices and kiwi slices. On the plate is strawberry jam. I loved it and I think the matcha ice cream is the best matcha ice cream I have tasted in my life. If you go to Taiwan, definitely try the waffles! Picture taken from Mei Mackleer's iPhone 6 Last, but not least, you can't leave the restaurant without desserts! There were a lot of options to choose from for dessert

7.) Taiwan is known for its natural beauty such as foggy mountains in the distance despite that you are in the city and vast green rice fields which can be seen if you go to the countryside. If you go hiking, you will smell the sulfur coming from the volcanoes and see a gorgeous sunrise if you are on the top of the mountain. Here is a rice field in Miaoli County, Taiwan 8.) Then I went on an electric four persons surrey bike ride with my family to see the scenery. You have to rent it at a local bike store. Basic Chinese phrases are necessary to communicate with the owner. There are two Rainbow Bridges that I went under while sitting in the surrey bike; I regretted that I did not get a chance to take a picture with the Rainbow Bridge in the background.  However, I did get a chance to pose next to the word "Love" with the beach in the background. It was a relaxing day. This is a beach located in  Hsinchu City, North District, Taiwan . It is a long sidewalk where y

大家好！Hello everyone! I just arrived home from the airport last night and my eyes were red due to lack of sleep. For three weeks, I went to Taiwan to see my relatives and to explore the city.  Taipei is the capital of Taiwan and Taiwan is also known as "Formosa" meaning beautiful island in Portuguese. The Portuguese explorers came to Taiwan centuries ago.  Taiwan is near Japan (3 hours by plane). I did not realize how fast time flies by until my great grandmother mentioned that last time I was in Taiwan was 3 YEARS AGO! I should have come last summer to see my aging relatives :(  Still, I feel blessed to visit and to enjoy my time in Taiwan! My flight lasted approx. 12 hours. I watched movies and I was pleased that United Airlines provided closed captioning on the screen. I will share with you my list of places that I went to in Taiwan and my personal opinions of the restaurants I ate at. I went to New Taipei City, Taipei City, Ximen Ding, Hsinchu County, Miaoli County

I recently finished reading the non-fiction book about Leslie's mother, Mary and Mary's friends growing up during the Communist Revolution and then becoming adults in America, the land of the American Dream. Due to the division between the Nationalists and the Communists, they fled to Taiwan located near China. Leslie also included Mary's friends' families such as being sons and daughters of immigrant parents. Leslie revealed how she felt growing up in Connecticut dominated by Caucasian middle class citizens. However, Lesile was curious to how her mother felt in America unlike her homelands where beliefs and traditions differ. Thus she started interviewing Mary's friends who attended the same school for girls in Taiwan. From there, Leslie learned many perspectives from getting to know them and why her mother is determined to work dedicatedly for her family. I especially enjoyed the chapter where Leslie, her boyfriend, and her mother went to China to go sightseeing b

I had my breakfast at La Madeleine , a French restaurant founded by a French American immigrant who was longing for authentic and fresh food from his childhood in France. You can read more about this on the poster wall with a picture of him in the restaurant. I enjoyed the fruit tarts, but I was hungry for more. I ordered (and highly recommended) the Country French Breakfast: two sunny side up eggs, bacon, a Potato Galette, and a warm buttery croissant. I loved the breakfast especially when I covered the potato galette with runny yolk! I usually dip my cinnamon raisin bread brought at Costco with orange yolk, but this tasted delicious. Even thinking about it got me wanting to go there again! I did not have to wait too long for the servers to bring my plate to my table so the service was satisfactory. Here is the picture below: Even though this plate has simple ingredients, I was pleased after eating the meal. :) Go there and order it for yourself! What are some of your favorite r

Hello my cupcakes! Today I want to introduce my favorite skincare products that I use often. I used to have bad acne in middle school, but my complexion improved in high school. However, my main enemy is dry skin. My face is dry because I do not drink enough water and I do not get enough sleep.   Here are some tips: 1. Get monthly facial at a local spa. It is worth the money. 2. Buy Korean hydrated masks 3. Put on mud mask every two weeks 4. Use exfoliant once or twice a week 5. Use facial rose oil as last step before going to bed 6. USE SUNSCREEN BEFORE GOING OUT! 1. I dislike chapped lips so I constantly use lip balm or chapstick. Smith's Rosebud Salve  was invented in the early 20th century and I just love how the case looks vintage . Because most companies use tubes for lipsticks , chapsticks, etc., this case is circular and looks like something people would use long ago (I am a history fanatic). It smells great . It has that plesant scent with a bit of honey in it a

Hello cupcakes! Thank you for following my blog these past few months! A while back, I had my adorable birthday tea party at a small tearoom called Lady Camellia. The outside wall was painted a pastel mint   color and the tea set is lovely with floral print.  Lady Camellia is located in somewhat wealthy Georgetown, Washington D.C. Georgetown has plenty of stores and restaurants and it is common to see college students walking around from nearby Georgetown University (hard to get in). I ordered Jasmine green tea which is one of my favorite teas. It tasted light and pleasing. I do not like tea that still has lot of leaves floating around in it. I absolutely loved the strawberry tart and especially the white chocolate scone! The white chocolate scone was fresh and warm out of the oven and it did not have too much white chocolate. That was perfect for me since I am not a big fan of white chocolate. When I first ate it, I fell in love instantly! I wish the server could allow us to have mor

Hello cupcakes! The weather is beautiful today! I have been inactive lately, but nonetheless I will share the pictures of delicious food I ate. I went to Washington D.C. and Annandale, Virginia. Some food are from fancy catering companies and others are from restaurants. This is coffee-flavored and strawberry shaved ice with sweet toppings. I loved it! You can buy this at the "Block" located in  4221 John Marr Dr, Annandale, VA 22003 Next I went to a Korean BBQ restaurant. It's called Kogiya Korean BBQ located in 4220-A Annandale Rd, Annandale, VA 22003 I loved the food and the sauces. The Korean restaurant gave a wide variety of choices and plenty of food for a group of 6 persons! There were a lot of leftovers afterwards, but sadly we were not allowed to bring them home.  I will write about food I tasted in Washington D.C. in the next post!

Cultures are related to diverse traditions, practices and perspectives. It is how we approach life and its social, political, historical, economic, and environmental demands. Everyday we construct viewpoints of each other, institutions, and governments (shout out to my Global Studies professor Fall 2016! She taught my class this topic.). A few months ago in Global Studies 101 class, I learned that borders are artificial. They divide and categorize people based on common language, religion, or beliefs.  What forms a hierarchy among nation-states? Power? Determination? Foreign policy? What forms a hierarchy among peers in an American high school? Athletic skills? Good looks? Good social skills? Conformity? Academic intelligence? Cultures are part of our essential well-being. Without them, we would feel disintegrated and lack of pride in our overall community or state. Tourists flock to other nation-states to experience the life of a local in their short time there rather it be expl