What we did in Taiwan: climb the highest mountain in Taipei then head straight to Shilin market for crispy fried chicken ☁️🍗
Oh, I miss pushing my body to its limit. With no access to the pool and crazy amount of work, I haven’t been moving as much as I’d like.
I need to:
– walk instead of being driven around
– find a sport that I can do weekly
– organise a hike
#throwbacktuesday #needtoexercisemore #taipei
Resolution achieved over the weekend: enjoy a glass or two of wine without getting drunk 🍾🍷🍷💪#competentadult
Enjoying the view of Duomo river before touring the port winery. 
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While Porto was beautiful and port wine sweet, it didn’t inspire me to enjoy wine like Paris did. There, I told myself I’ll make wine-drinking a habit when I get back to Kuala Lumpur.
.
So I went to Shakespeare and Co., bought and finish reading Jancis Robinson’s ‘24 Hours Wine Expert’. Yet I haven’t really explore drinking like she suggested. Oh, so many things to do, so little time!
.
#porto #portugal #throwbacktuesday #wine #resolutionnotachieved
Doing what Amelie Poulain loves doing – cracking the caramelised crust with a spoon. She finds joy in simple things such as this.
‘Amelie’ is my favourite French film starring Audrey Tautou. So I had to visit the Amelie’s Cafe when in Paris. It’s not too far from Moulin Rouge.
I’m adopting the Parisian life here in Kuala Lumpur: long lunch, decadent food in sensible quantity, walking everywhere, amongst other things. In short, just enjoying everything that I do. So far, so good!
Been adopting the Parisian lifestyle back in Kuala Lumpur:
🔸Walk more e.g using public transport, walk in the park
🔸Dine slowly with family and friends
🔸Appreciate and use beautiful things
🔸Immerse in arts
🔸Embrace bed hair
🔸Wear perfume
🔸Enjoy a glass of wine occasionally
🔸Not take things too seriously
Most of us merely exist and burdened with never-ending chores. I don’t want that.
I want to (re)design my life. I want one that is simple yet meaningful.
So I been spending time with people I love being with, taking the stairs instead of the lift, watercolour painting, writing calligraphy, listening to good music, using my curler less, perfuming myself and my home…
I really do love how the French LIVE life: fully and without abandon ~
Oh I love the beach life: swim/ dive, drink, sing, gaze at stars, and talk about nothing at all…
Need to:
1. Learn some popular, sing-along songs on the ukulele
2. Get a book to help me identify fishes
3. Improve buoyancy control and confidence for my (possible) next dive
4. Perhaps get a pair of open-heel fins and booties
Doing the usual in Beijing: drink yoghurt (suan nai/ 酸奶). 7 years ago it was 5 kuai, now its 10 kuai. Today we can pay with WeChat (it’s like our Whatsapp).
There’s even QR code hung at every stall at the wet market. You don’t have to pay cash to your butcher/vegetable seller if you have your phone.
I’m so impress with China – they’ve progressed so much…and we have not.
“As wonderful as science is, culture also teaches us how to eat”, Michael Pollan explaining the French Paradox. Perhaps the secret to the the French slim figures -despite eating rich food – is dining slowly.
I miss dining in brasseries by the pavements in Paris, strolling by the Seine river with a Berthillon ice-cream in my hand, and just live without a timetable…
#stopdreaming #lifeisnotmeasuredbyfunalone #foodphilosophy
Seven years today:
I guess banana has always been my fruit of choice whenever I hike and that I’ve always been fascinated by food (in an esoteric way). Beijing was fun!
When I visit next, I shall:
1. Eat strawberry bing tang hulu 糖葫芦
2. Visit a local market to buy spices and Chinese cooking stuff
3. Possibly create a ‘Chinese Language’ notebook like I did for Japanese + get a book before that
4. Check out their sthings e.g dollar shop
5. Hangout & dine with locals and learn more about their culture (always wonder how it’s different from Malaysian Chinese descent’s)
