Endless Adventures

Quote of the day: Some Christmas tree ornaments do more than glitter and glow, they represent a gift of love given a long time ago. -Tom Baker Merry Christmas everyone! I like this website because it has 75 best Christmas quotes and they definitely sum up my feelings about Christmas! Here is the link:  https://www.countryliving.com/life/g2819/christmas-quotes/?slide=5 During my winter break, I will read books and relax. My goal in 2020 is to write more in my journal and type stories. I had a great Christmas day with family and loved ones. My sister made me hot cocoa with coconut whipped cream and I ate baked brownies with icing on top! I love seeing Christmas decor on people's homes and I just love the bright colors. This year, I got comfy socks and a nice shirt from my dad. I got Miranda Kerr's KORA skincare products which was on my wishlist from my mom. Also, my sister got me candles, a bookmark with a quote about winter printed on it, a peaceful painting card of a g...

My Study Abroad experience in Taiwan August 2018-July 2019 PART 1 I arrived back in the United States a few weeks ago after my study abroad program ended this past June. I studied abroad in Taipei, Taiwan for an academic year so I did not eat food on Thanksgiving day with my family nor did I spend Easter day with my paternal grandparents. I calculated that I spend about ten months abroad. I was not used to the fact that I had to attend classes on Christmas day, but I know that Taiwan is not a Christian country. I chose to study abroad in Taiwan because I wanted to spend more time in Taiwan. I felt that my vacation period in Taiwan with my parents and relatives is too short and that I want to do more things, see more places, and eat more food in restaurants. Also, I was feeling bored in my hometown so I wanted to experience living in a different country. I applied online (my home university's study abroad website in March 2018 and I departed San Francisco in August 2018. I had ...

Certain aromas that bring me back to my childhood: -Mint leaves growing in the front yard that my dad would collect and put in iced tea -strong smell of Basil leaves -white lilies brought from the grocery store I am currently sitting outside and enjoying nature. I marvel at God's beautiful creation. The birds. The shades of green surrounding me. I see the tall bamboo...lush trees' leaves moving slightly in the breeze. I love the warm weather and I feel at peace on this fine day of July. The nature and sounds brings me back to my childhood memories. I used to go to the countryside of my county or go to wild West Virginia and read books or play outside with my companions. My tan chihuahua would walk around and I would pet it. Now I see a dark black squirrel walking across on the branch and I am astonished at how that squirrel is not afraid of heights. Yet I am intimidated of heights. I think we all should be more like squirrels, not afraid despite high risk of falling. It is...

This past summer, I enjoyed eating at a upscale restaurant located at  Far Eastern Mall located in Da'An District. Although the bill is expensive, it's nice to splurge every once in a while! Here is the link where it shows you a video of the 5-Star hotel and fine dining: http://www.shangri-la.com/taipei/fareasternplazashangrila/  If you stand near the railing, you can see the stores and people milling about! I decided to order a pasta so I was in a short line and the chef told me to choose any ingredient and he cooked it in front of me! The restaurant was not crowded when we arrived mid-afternoon. There's water flowing on the wall! This building also has a spa upstairs. This macaron reminds me of Sailor Moon one of my favorite animes! Passion fruit, a popular fruit in Taiwan So many options, so little time! Cheese and cracker, anyone? There were many desserts to choose from! You can select a soda can from the bucket. The shell...

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...

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 ...

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 ...

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 lo...

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 Co...

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 favori...