Fashion Finds from Far Far Away

My two week adventure to Taiwan has left me with serious jet lag, a new bag of clothes and a hybrid between a question and thought. These rare specimens are called a questhought. If you didn't know these existed, well surprise, they do exist. Well, in my world anyways. What a strange world I live in.

I did do some shopping in Taiwan, but don't worry I didn't go mega-crazy. I think. If I could sum up Taiwanese female fashion I would use the word "cute". They all dressed rather modestly. I was surprised to see so many people wearing jeans and jackets when I was wearing a tank and shorts and still feeling the humid heat.

For all you cheapskate peeps, Taiwan shopping is definitely a must if you are ever to visit the lovely island. Sure with cheap clothing comes cheap, or a less than high, quality, but you can find some pretty cute things out there.

Before coming to Taiwan, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to buy anything because of my gigantic size. Asian sizes tend to run really small. My last experience in China was buying an XXL. Awesome. But thankfully, I did manage to find things and thanks to the loose and bubble trend that is going on in Taiwan worrying about being the sad girl who couldn't find anything that fit would only be a story of fiction.

Oh and back to my questhought. Why are my feet so big?! The only thing I couldn't manage to find were shoes my size. I think my feet in Taiwan are the rarest creatures in that island. It doesn't help that my feet are not only big in length, but big in width as well. It's an embarrassing moment in your life when your mom asks the store manager what's the biggest size they've got and the store manager asks how big and your mom points at you and the store manager looks down at your feet and immediately shakes her head. Then there is that awkward moment where you look at the person and she looks at you and you look back knowing fully well that the person is laughing uncontrollably inside at your gigantic feet. Finally you walk away empty handed while your size 6 footed sister gets to comb through the racks and shelves of cute, trendy, (although cheaply made), dainty shoes of joy. Luckily enough, I did manage to scrape up two pairs of lovely sandals in my size! Even though on one of the pairs my squishy heel peeks off the shoe, I will call them shoes in my size. Take that you small non-size-9-dainty shoes of horror!!!

Back to shopping. The place I went most was WuFenPu. It's an area made just for shopping. Every little alley is filled with the smell of new clothes unwrapped or wrapped in plastic packages (and imported from good ole China). Most stores had sale items - $100, $200, $300 and so on. These are in Taiwanese dollars roughly $30 NT= $1 American dollar. Knowing me and my primal thrifting instincts I rarely left the comforts of those sale racks, getting almost everything at WuFenPu for only $100.

A lot of the styles I saw there were not so much different to the trends over here except in a more "asian/FOBby" manner. I don't know if you get what I mean, but I'll carry on nonetheless. I saw many suspender inspired items, a lot of bubble hems, graphic T-shirts with large phrases printed on, and lots of jumpers. There weren't any dressing rooms and trying things on was a big no-no, so I had to wing it, use my instincts and estimate. I often overestimated my skinniness or is it underestimated my fatness? Either way, I had to give some things over to my sister.

Without further ado, my Taiwan trip haul.

1&2 Jewelry was from my aunt. She went to China and bought all these interesting pieces and planned to sell them for profit in Taiwan. She told me to take whatever I wanted. Um, okay? So I did. I got these awesome ring-bracelets. Now all I need is an Indian outfit and I'm ready for my bollywood debut! // 3 dress: $100NT from a night market. Very schoolgirl meets leprachaun. Mildly tight, not sure if to give it to a friend or somehow make it work.

1 tshirt and not just any tshirt, a PANDA t-shirt. $100 NT. The thing I love about asian countries is the mass amount of panda paraphernalia they have. SO CUTE. I have an insane crush on fat pandas // 2 shiny shiny dress. $100 NT. I'm not quite sure why I bought it. Maybe I was trying to fullfill my inner diva's style sense. It was my first purchase and I think the cheapness of everything got to my head. I'll figure it out somehow!// 3 top. $100 NT. I'm a sucker for things that have doodles that look like I drew them and for bubble-esque hems. And the round buttons on the straps. I'm a sucker for many things in life, these are just a few.



1 top. $100 NT. I love the faux suspender straps and black and white is one of my favorite combos...because they're panda colors! // 2 PANDA BAG! $100 NT. I almost peed in my pants when I saw this. // 3 shoes. 2 pairs for $300. They're a lot cooler in real life and are so comfortable. Maybe it's because these were the last pairs sitting out there and have been worn and stretched to perfection?

1 floral button top $100 NT, it has a collar and then two straps making an X in the back. // 2 Tunic or super mini dress $100 NT. Simple but nice with fake crystal buttons. One step closer to my African safari dreams. // 3 Jumper $100NT, I love a good ole jumper.

1 tshirt $100 NT, my mom didn't like how it looked on her so she gave it to me. // 2&3 dress& tunic 2 pieces for $150. These are super comfy pieces. Way cheap.

I also did shop other places but didn't really buy except when we went to XinmenDing, a place where a lot of young people hang out. Not as cheap as WuFenPu but still fun!

1 lime jumper $300NT, there goes the bubble! // 2 pink doodled mini-dress $300 NT there goes the bubble again! and the doodles! // 3 Be Happy Shirt $100 NT because I like being happy.

There it is folks, my haul of clothing from Taiwan. I really need to stop buying and start prioritizing things in life like sleeping. I need to fix my internal clock. I didn't know jet lag could screw with my brain this much.

Oh yeah, and click here. Heehee.

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.