The Terror that is Packing.

In approximately 7 days and 5 hours and 20 minutes I will be saying sayonara to California as I head off for Milan.

Excited? Yes. Nervous? Perhaps. But it's not traveling I'm nervous about. It's the realization that I will be only bringing one suitcase for four months abroad. What is a clothes-whore to do?

I am so lazy when it comes to preparing for travel. I still have a million things on my "list of things to do before I leave". The first one, "write a list of things I need to buy and bring" is still incomplete. I attempted at my cleaning the room first so that I could have a clean desk to write that list of things to bring. The room is still not clean. In fact it got a little messier as I tried to clean my closet. I have way too much clothes.

So now, I need the help of fashion bloggers. What should I bring? I only have one large suitcase and a traveling backpack. I am thinking of keeping it simple and a little more Italian? I want to blend in as much as possible. My mom told me it was impossible unless I get massive facial plastic surgery. What can I say, I just don't have an Italian face.

It's getting closer and closer and somehow I am trying to lie to myself in thinking that I still have a lot of time. Maybe going to Italy will somehow force me to be a little more chic and a little less ridiculous. If that happens, my mom should be really happy that I'm going abroad.

What am I doing blogging! I need to clean. I need to finish an illustration.

Actually, I need to blow dry my hair. It's making my shirt and back wet. Like. So. Ew.

Take me Back to Taiwan...please?

WARNING: Lots of pictures ahead. If you find that offensive somehow, then you can leave. Or suffer through the offensiveness.

So I'm back from Taiwan and life has become boring once again. Not that my life is boring, goodness no, but where my life is located, aka the sunny suburbs of California, is so dull compared to Taiwan. Whereas lights are out by 10 PM where I live, the lights never go out in the city. I really have become a city girl.

I love travelling. I love going to other places and seeing different cultures. Smelling different foods. Stalking different fashions. I should stop buying clothes so I can save money for my flight around the world. What an idealist I've become.

It took forever to load the images onto blogger. By the end I got tired so some days have more pictures than others. I don't believe in day elitism, I swear!

DAY1: Midnight flight to Taipei// Slept on plane// Tried to understand that I'm flying into the future // Watched Sex&City on the personal TV // Slept more // Landed in Taipei at like 5 in the morning // Bused it to the hotel // Met 3rd uncle on my dad side // Met a small typhoon// Realized third uncle on my dad size got a little fatter // Took us around the city, Taiwan drivers are CRAZY! // ate yummy breakfast // More driving around // Nap at hotel // Met my dad's crazy-interesting family // SLEEP. That was by far the longest day I ever had.

Day2:

Woke up// "YAY, I'm in Taiwan" thought // Met with sis's friend // Walked around the street // Took the metro // Off to Xinmen Ding for some shopping // Indulged in money spending // Memorized the exchange rate // Ate with second uncle from mom's side and met cousin I never met.

Day3:

Woke up // Went to get new glasses. Glasses here are so much cheaper! // Lunch with dad's opera classmates // WuFenPu Shopping!! So much cheap things, so little time // Went to harbor// Dinner with mom's friend at this really pretty building // Ate icecream // Tired.

Day4:

Awake // Took metro then taxi to resturant // Went to wrong resturant so took taxi again // decided not to eat there when we met up with mom's friend // Taipei 101!! // So pretty super fast elevator // went to National University for mom reunion // ate cheesecake and homemade milk // tour bus // hiked // sweaty pig = me// seafood.

Day5:

Left Taipei for our trip around the island with third uncle and his SUV // visited old towns // visited memorial sites // visited temples // visited dad's friend's museum// met third uncle's family and ate dinner // night market // coolest "motel" ever with swirly TV

Day6:

Lots of temples Day. Mosquito bites emerge.

Day7:

OMG! MONKIES!!! the coolest part of my trip was getting so close to these monkies. My uncle drove up this mountain and talked about how all these monkies just sit at the side of the road. I was super excitied but then when we got there there were no monkies. About to leave disappointed and super sad, I suddenly see a family of monkies coming closer and closer and WOWOW sooo cute. I fed them peanuts. Too bad my camera ran out of batteries :( // Food // Dutch Historical building // Night market .. stinky tofu=yum! // Boat ride at night to beach

Day8/9:

Coastal scenery.

Day9:

National parks!! // So beautiful // waterfall cave // super awesome.


Day11:

Drove back to Taipei// Went through a long tunnel // SOGO department store shopping and gawking at expensive things // back to WuFenPu for cheap stuff! // Met uncle on mom's side again and cousin I never met // Walked around // Market with adult stuff and snakes // back to WuFenPu! We're crazy // typhoon coming // Got drenched because dad told the taxi driver to get off at the wrong stop.

Day12:

Met with dad's friends and played with cute kids and cuter dogs // ate at this really weird but really cool resturant that's like a piece of art! It was sooo beautiful in a weird way. Called Five Cent Driftwood. I want to be like the architect.artist // Met with sis's friend // Watched an episode of drama at his house. Bleh. // Taipei 101 viewing! // ate at nice japanese resturant // love the graffitti.

Day13:

Picked up glasses // Bought thin 0.28 pens! Yes! // National Palace Museum // Taiwan bakeries are sooo good // dinner again with mom's friends

Day14:

Last day = sad // History Museum to see the Millet paintings. Dude it was super crowded, it was as if I was waiting in line at Disneyland, totally ruined the experience of art-going. but now I can say I've seen a piece of art that I learned about // Found a Mister Donut! YES! // Strolled XinmenDing // Strolled Computer Market // Went somewhere with second uncle // ate dinner at this rotating high building thing // ate escargot for the first time! // plane ride // bye bye taiwan!!

I still have serious jet lag. Bad Bad.

Working on LalaLiu tonight.

And remember to bid, if you wanna, no pressure.

The Beauty of Imagination

When I close my eyes, I don't see black.

I don't see the glaring afterglow of my desklight.

I don't see the tiny little dots scattering about.

My eyelids do not shield me from the world.

They transport me somewhere else;

somewhere new; somewhere beyond the Milky Way.

Without moving a limb,

without getting up from my chair.

Close your eyes, imagine,

think, where the wonders never cease

where the impossibilites are just myths.

Enjoy darlings

the beauty of imagination.

Dear friends and foe, I've just returned from the greatest place ever. My trip to DaliLand was quite nice. "Quite nice" actually just doesn't cut it. It was amazing, beyond amazing, it was absolutely breathtaking. It was breathstealing. There was hardly any tourists destroying up the place and the traffic was terrific. While there I got to attend a wonderful Masquerade Cocktail party and wear my red poofed-hip-tapestry-pattern-cocktail dress- with-pockets of a dress. I had just bought it from Loehmanns yesterday, and had no idea when or where to wear it to. Now I do have an idea. I also got to site see around the barren desserts and beaches. I was wearing my new plaid sack of a jumper and my lovely grey hat. This trip definately makes up for my missing of the Dali exhibit that showed at LACMA.

Now, I really don't want to start off another week again. I'm still feeling a bit of jet lag, but a goodnight's sleep should be the cure to it all.


I find it really funny how all my posts end with me going to sleep.