sky above pacific ocean

Hello from Taipei

It's a bit warm here, not too humid. Already eaten a lof of fruits which I have been craving for. They are so good!! Havn't gone any places where we planned to go. We are busy and lazy at the same time, I guess. Also there are lots "Family" related to do list!

Be back soon!

Planning for the trip/02 ~帰りたい気分

I totally agree with food writer Yilan said about Tainan.

The city where i grew up before my family moved to Taipei.
The city where you will find most of the eateries are open in the early morning. People there are starting their day with a nice meal.
The city where you find lots lots historical buildings and temples.

Our family used to live in a "long " house. The porpotion of lot's width and length probably are 1 to 8. It's so long so we have a long light well in the middle, a small light well at the side and a large back yard. My lovely grandpa was living in the northernly end of the house. It was a room with japanese setting, lift solid wood floor with layers and layers of wood panel doors, and of course tatami flooring in the bedroom. My grandma was living in the southernly end of the house right beside the garden. It's a room with western setting. But we have totally chinse style kitchen and living room. This house is toally reflecting the mutiple cultures of this city. There are thousands things I want to say about this house, but i have to stop here.

Did i tell you this city is famous with GOOD FOOD??
I will plan to have this LAMB SOUP!
And I will not miss fried noodles with fresh water eel, oyster pancake, stir fried squid, milky fish porridge,starfruit juice, vegetarian bamboo leaf wrapped rice cake, tea dessert ...........
(鱔魚意麵, 蚵阿煎, 生炒花枝, 虱目魚粥, 楊桃湯, 魚丸湯,..............)I will have hard time to finish my listing,..... they are too many good things there!

woodblock and tools from唐長 KARACHO

Planning for the trip/01

I want to check this tranditional woodblock paper shop in kyoto, 唐長 KARACHO .
If possible, one day i hope i can take classes there.

Flea Market Sunday


I think today is the flea market Sunday in PCC. CL is out for surfing, and i have to run all the errands before the trip to Taiwan. I definitely can't go today!! I feel that I've missed a lot of things today.

Here are the pictures taken from last month's flea market. Always see the most incredible colors there.

top: hand made fans are dyed by Samiro Yunoki

bottom: papaer fan by kozyndan

More patterns of waves,

Never have enough patterns of waves. I found this japanese hand made paper fan in Tortoise. Love it! but can't afford a 40 dollars paper fan, and i just got a paper fan from kozyndan last fall. Sigh beautiful things cost money!!

top: the sprouts in our backyard
bottom: the quick sketch of imaginary sprouting flowers

california wild flowers

Yvonne helps us to plan out a sustainable garden, so we supposed to plant some wild poppies to fill out the rest of land. I found a pack of seeds, named “California wild flowers” in a nursery closed to my house. Totally excited! Such a luxury experience to have a back yard and to sow the seeds. We sowed the seeds right before the Christmas, and we were so worried about these little lives when the temperature dropped suddenly. We started to notice some little spouts 3 weeks ago. Oh,yehhhhhhhhhh!! Since then they are doing better and better. I can’t wait to see them blooming in the spring or summer.

The seeds in the pack,

Alyssum
Calendula
Bachelor Buttons
Wallflower
Cosmos
African daisy
California poppy
Baby’s breath
Candytuft
Dames’ Rocket
Blue Flax
Scarlet Flax
Lupine
Nasturtium
Evening Primrose
Shirley Poppy

oulet in desert

CL and I went to a outlet in desert last weekend, this is the first time CL visited a outlet. He got lots questions about it!
"why don't they sale everything cheap in the stores at the first place?"
"why don't we have outlets in Taiwan?"
"why there are so many crazy people here?"

We spent most of time in"Prada", of course, there are nothing affordable for us. We did have good time in there. Nobody bother us, and I checked all the fabric, patterns. Too bad that I couldn't take any photos of good things we found there, but i was totally satisfied. My brain was totally stuffed with loads of new design.

We left the outlets seeing these coolest yellow lights!
Lots unexpected things in this desert.

Top: from sam weber

Bottom: from kozyndan

I have to start this blog with the topic of waves and surfing. 10 years ago, when I was still living in Taipei, I probably would never believe that one day I would surf in the water. I want to celebrate the birth of this blog with this brand new activity in my life.
yes, I was scared most of time, I felt like being drawn to a endless hole but I was thrilled at the same time. when I was struggling with the waves, all these graphic images flooding in my brain. I became obsessed with visual expression of waves and how these interesting artworks connected to my perception of the waves.

One day, we were in the county line (Ventura and LA). The waves were violent and harsh. I barely could stay on the board. Every time the waves came hitting on my neck and face, the illustrations of Sam Weber came out. That day's waves are like these curly, moving tree trunk. Unbeatable!! Totally frustrated, I never made it beyond the white water.
The second morning, we went to El Porto, oh, yeh,.. The waves were so soft, tender and consistent. It brought back all the confidence. And then this “ rabbit jumping” waves of this Hokusai-like painting from Kozyndan was popping out in my brain,…so I marked that waves as “ stuffed rabbit falling waves”.

CL doesn’t think I can call myself a surfer, I probably don’t really care about the sport, but I do enjoy all these excitements brought to me by the nature and simply the joy of hanging out with friends in the water!!