Where We’ve Been…

Hello Onebubble readers – all two of you according to my blog stats. Well, your patience has paid off! This blog is not dead after all (This will probably be the final post ever). A quick update: We got back to the states about six weeks ago, but due to the terrible economy, Andy has since returned to Asia to become a pop singer slash professional claw machine player.

In any case, it’s good to be home. I was hoping to revive this site and blog about our trip to Asia…but my laziness got the better of me. However, I did manage to make this little video that summarizes our trip fairly well. It’s not original or expertly produced but it is embarrassing and hopefully entertaining enough to get you through this Monday. Enjoy!

Danshui, Taipei

I don’t remember when but roughly two weeks ago we took a trip to the Danshui River Park. Actually I don’t know if that’s what they call it but this place is located alongside the Danshui River (obviously) and if you take the MRT (red line), just go north until you reach the Danshui Station (duh).

Danshui has become quite the hot tourist spot. In addition to its various historical attractions, it has a perfect combination of good crowd, great food, and beautiful scenery. If you’re looking to avoid the hustles & bustles of a night market, this is a great place to just walk around and enjoy the breeze. (Edit: actually, I never been here at night so maybe it gets just as boisterous as a typical night market. I doubted it though…)

I would recommend coming here right before dawn so you can catch the sunset and enjoy the night scenes here. You can also check out some nearby attractions such as the Fisherman’s Wharf or the Red Castle.

Every spot has their own specialty or creation and Danshui is no exception. Unfortunately, we were in a hurry so didn’t get a chance to really enjoy the food here. Which bites… but not literally. You can also walk through the alleys and check out what’s happening on the street side.

I wished I bought one. I saw one that’s at least twice as high as the one in the picture above (left side).

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Here are some videos we took:

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THE BLACK STORE

We did however check out this joint famous for its pork chops. It’s about a 10-minute cab ride from the Danshui Station. It’s a very well-known restaurant so any cab driver from Danshui should be able to get you there no problem. By the way, it’s called the Black Store because when it first opened, about 20 years ago I think, the interior was all black. Taiwanese are simple people when it comes to store names.

It wasn’t bad but I think we came at a bad time (around 2-3pm) because the food came out immediately after we order it. There’s no doubt the pork chops were pre-made because it wasn’t quite hot off the grill if you get my drift. Maybe if you come during lunchtime then you won’t get the leftovers.

We ran into this little charmer right after our meal. It seems like every time we eat pork chops there’s a pig right outside waiting for us.

The Rundown: One Week Left In Taiwan

So I thought I’ll start doing a quick recap like this every once in a while just to be more current. We still have quite a few more updates in the bag which hopefully I’ll get to in the next few days. As for the past week, I pretty much just stayed home, chilled with my mom, and caught up on all the Chinese movies I have ever missed. It was a needed change of pace after our first two weeks. I can’t say the same for Andy. He has been working his butt off at the summer camp with hundreds of kids half his age. Just so y’all know, I visited him this past Thursday and he’s doing well. The kids love him and he’s doing a great job. In any case, until next post, a few more random thoughts:

• Honestly, I didn’t know karaoke was such a big thing in Taiwan and I’m guessing all of Asia. Here’s a typical routine for a night out: First, you hit up Cashbox with a few friends to get warmed up for the night. Then you meet up with your party people at a trendy lounge such as Barcode (where everyone seems to be ABC) to get a few drinks and check out the crowd. Lastly, if people are in the mood to dance, you make your way to the likes of 18 and Luxe. Apparently, a whole bunch of clubs and bars are all located in the same exact location.
• This past Saturday night, I was invited to a birthday party of a friend of Andy that I have met only two weeks ago. Andy couldn’t make it because of camp so I went solo. The party was at, of course, Cashbox. Basically, I found myself mingling in a small and crowded room with 25 people I have never met before and probably will never meet again, singing songs I have never heard of, and speaking a language that I barely use. It was a great time. Too bad Wonderwall wasn’t on the selection…
• I saw both The Matrix and The Matrix Revolutions tonight. I always thought the third installment was the worst of the three because…well, I don’t remember. Like everyone else, I just thought it got worse and worse after the first one. Anyway, I saw the third one tonight again and thought it was pretty good. Everything made a little more sense. Maybe it’s because by not watching the second one, The Matrix Reloaded, it made the storyline flow better or maybe it’s just that my expectation has leveled off considerably since then. Anyway, here’s a great clip from that final fight scene. Awesome dialogue between Agent Smith and Neo. Don’t ask me why but I got inspired and did some push-ups & sit-ups.
• By the way, I think this is my new favorite movie right now. The commute would be so much more bearable if I have eight of these wild things to guide me.



• Question of the day: Would you break up a fight between two random strangers in a foreign country? Think about it. I had about 10 seconds to make that decision. A few nights back, I decided to swing by National Taiwan University and check out some basketball action. I wasn’t dressed to play so I just found a seat and watched. Out of nowhere, all hell broke loose and some kid went psycho on this other kid because he got smacked in the face. At first, a few teammates got in the way and it looks like everything is calming down. But it didn’t. It escalated. The bigger and stronger kid started to chase down this other kid and he started running my way. Before you know it, they were right in my face and this kid was about to get pummeled. Man, I didn’t know what to do. At first, I was thinking I better not get involved because it might end up with me getting jumped by a group of kids or worse me getting arrested. But then, I thought…dude, I can’t sit idly by while some kid gets beat up right in front of me. Seriously, what would you do? Luckily, before I could do anything, a swarm of people ran over to break things up. Whew…
• I’ll end with this. C’mon people, it’s “Don’t DRINK and Drive“, not “Don’t THINK and Drive“!!

Miramar Entertainment Park

Don’t get your hopes up. This post won’t be nearly as entertaining as the title suggests. We went to meet a friend of mine (father of Boy In Static actually) in Neihu, Taipei at a hotel right next to the Miramar Entertainment Park. It’s not much of an entertainment park but rather just a mall with an over-sized ferris wheel on its roof. I heard it’s one of the largest ferris wheel in the world and a great place to propose, because at the top, you get a great view, ton of excitement, and best of all, the girl has no place to run. That or it’ll be a very long and awkward ride to the bottom.

Andy got very excited when I told him we’re going to ride the ferris wheel. I lied.

To our surprise, we found a driving range right next to Miramar and decided to hit a few balls since we arrived early. It was nice do something active other than eating.

I didn’t really like golf that much before mainly because I suck. Sometimes there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to enjoy a nice relaxing afternoon at the driving range. Anyway, I still suck but slowly improving. See for yourself below. It’s not quite like Tiger’s swing but it’s close. By the way, slow motion is cool. Is there a cheap way to do it at a high-quality level? Yeah…probably not.

Here’s my swing:

Here’s Andy’s swing:

Raohe Street Night Market

Raohe St. Night Market is one of the oldest night markets around, and from what I’ve read, it’s supposedly the first night market in Taiwan. Located near the Songshan Railway Station (like you know where that is…), it’s about a ten minutes cab ride from the Taipei 101 area. The taxis here are much cheaper compared to New York City but it still adds up. For example: a cab ride of about 40 minutes and 20 miles will cost roughly $30 USD in Taipei and I’m guessing about $50 in New York. It’s not dirt cheap like the street food here but if you split the cab with couple of buddies then it’s not too bad at all. It beats trying to figure out the bus routes in a foreign country.

I have heard that this night market is one of the better ones in terms of food deliciousness which makes sense if this is indeed the first ever night market in Taiwan. Well, it’s a good “combo” market meaning it covers both food and shopping. We didn’t spend much time here, but from what I remembered, it had a good crowd, great variety of food, and enough stores on the sides to keep your eyes busy wandering.

We decided to eat here first because the line was long and it looks like everyone was clamoring for one of these steamed/fried buns.

They looked pretty good from where we were standing. By the way, don’t believe the hype. The line died down right after we got on. If we were there ten minutes later, there would’ve been no one there.

These buns were huge and there were HOT!! Like mouth-burning lava HOT!! The taste wasn’t bad but we were stuffed (and burned) so it kind of killed our appetite for the night. I would recommend against this as your first bite.

Another Doraemon sighting. Confession: I grew up reading Doraemon and eating Dorayaki. Anyway, I bought one, left it in my shorts, and forgot all about it. I ate it about a week later (I put it in the fridge after I found it) and it was just alright. Somehow, I don’t think I gave it a fair chance to be good…

We ended the night by spending a good amount of coins at one of these game stations. Here’s Andy trying to win the grand prize. I think it’s either a polar bear or a really fat rabbit.

Dude…

Ni Hao! Sorry for the lack of updates lately. Blogging is hard work. Just thinking of a catchy title takes hours. Since we got here we’ve been “out on the town” almost everyday. There’s plenty to blog about but I don’t know how interesting it will be. In any case, Andy is out doing his mission work (what a guy) for the next two weeks so I should have more time to blog. Be on the lookout for more updates in the next few days and feel free to hit us up with ideas and suggestions. In the mean time, a few random thoughts on the trip so far:

• I find it easier to spend foreign money mainly because it doesn’t look real. It looks like monopoly money to me. Also, the difference in exchange rate here (30:1) makes me less aware of how much I’m actually spending sometimes. In other words, I’m broke…
• In celebration of 4th of July, we went to see Hancock. One thing I’m not yet accustomed to, or like, is seats assignment for movies. We bought our tickets more than an hour in advance and still got the crappiest seats. Here’s our view. As for the movie, I thought it was better than MIB but not quite as good as ID4. My suggestion for going to movies in Taiwan: Buy tickets a day in advance especially if you’re watching it on the weekends.
• Speaking of movies, I don’t know why but I really don’t want to see WALL-E. In fact, I’m sick of all the trailers and promos for it. I’m sure it will be another great Pixar movie, but right now, I’m just overloaded with too much of this, this and this to watch some cutesy animated flick…

• I’m, however, very looking forward to this new epic (above) by John Woo. Now, this is the kind of movie that I don’t mind dishing out NT$300 for (sounds cheap no?). Growing up, I was a big fan of Romance of The Three Kingdoms and love anything that had to do with military strategies. If you’re still not pumped up about Red Cliff yet, here’s a more hyped-up version of the trailer with voice-over by who else but Don LaFontaine (that’s obviously not him).
• Playing basketball in Taiwan is very tiring. It’s hot and humid and it’s nonstop. Everyone here plays 3-on-3 which actually requires more energy than 5-on-5 because you are constantly moving and fighting for positions. There’s only three of you so you can’t slack off – not if you want to win. Also, there’s very little rest time in between games. The next team waiting is always ready to go. In any case, we’ve played twice so far and the competition is fairly decent. I’ll blog more about it later.
• By the way, I really miss Gatorade. For some reason, you can’t buy it here! Hey, I don’t mind drinking Super Supau or Pocari Sweat, but if you drink them too much, it will start tasting more and more like sweat. I kid you not.
• I love how creative kids get when they are bored. Seriously, give a boy a ball and he’ll find a way to entertain himself for hours. Here’s my first taste of competitive basketball in Taiwan. It might have looked like I lost 2-0 but I was en fuego right before Andy started recording.
• I picked up this magazine at JFK Airport for my flight here. From cover to cover, it’s the best magazine I’ve read in a really long time. Go get a copy (mine is issue 011 – the travel issue) and see for yourself. Trust me, it’s a good magazine.
• I’m no travel expert but here’s a tip for those planning a long-term trip abroad: always underpack.
• Lastly, let me dispute the rumor that both me and Andy have lost weight during this trip. Well, it’s not entirely inaccurate. Andy has indeed lost a few pounds since we arrived…

reunited, and it tastes sooo goood. free bowl of udon as it was understood.

warning: immense load of pictures than my previous post so try not to get caught at work because the last thing we want is for them to block ONEBUBBLE. COM at your company…..actually that would get us A LOT of publicity and then maybe we could do this as a full time job.

Sooooo, Tyler and I met up with some old friends in Hsinchu that I haven’t seen in 10 years, which makes it the last time i saw them was 14, ANNND when i was 14 i looked completely different: height was the same but width wise — @_@. In any case, it turns out my friend majored in interior design, worked for a firm for a year and ended up closing shop and opening up a NEW shop but this time: serving UDON noodles, which i thought was crajee-lah!

Butttt….the restaurant had a really paris-cafe’esque theme to it which i thought was great, really classy lighting, and she had clocks installed which displayed different timezones which i thought added a nice touch of variety. The “little shop” as her mom had warned me, wasn’t as small as i pictured, as the restaurant was able probably to house no more than 25 at a time, but ANYSPACE beats I’s Cafe.

The house is known for a lot of their items, but I ended up ordering the fresh tomato sukiyaki which consisted of –> mushrooms, sausage, egg, udon, and a random piece of shrimp but NO tomato which i thought was kind of odd…see if you can find it.

While Tyler ordered the curry chicken sukiyaki which tasted great. It had a bold curry taste far from anything offered at Mesala Grill. Overall, taste wise it was great minus the tomato mishap, but of course EVERYTHING tastes better when its free =).

My friend along with her younger brother, took us to this place called NEIWAN known for its tradition food and mini go karts . It’s a historical landmark recently buffed up with street vendors to make it more accommodating towards tourists so you can get food, drinks, even watch old school movies on a giant projection screen.

The bathrooms still even have those squat pots to get a more old school aesthetic feeling, but i like it cuz it seems to preserve the tradition.

We walked along this bridge overlooking a river stream, which apparently is really clean and most certainly gets a lot of attention. Btw, if asians already all look the same, the least is wear something different right? Don’t enhance that stereotype by purposely collectively wearing the exact same colors when taking pictures. gosh they’d be so confusing if they lived in the states.

We finished our trip in Neiwan with Tyler walking way ahead of the car and looking back taking our last photo together, never to realize that there’s something weird with this picture. Can anyone find it? post your answer in your comment and we’ll high five you when we get back in Sept!

Neiwan Out!

Jay Chou’s Pork Chop Restaurant

Last Saturday, we met up with some friends in Taipei and somehow ended up at this Japanese pork chop restaurant owned by Jay Chou – apparently he’s a mega star here in Taiwan so our expectation was very high.

This is their cheese-filled pork chop. One of their more popular choices. It was alright. I ate it when it was cold so maybe that’s why it didn’t do it for me.

I ordered the miso pork chop because it came highly recommended. Well, if you love miso soup then maybe you’ll like this dish.

Asparagus pork chop. Not much different from the previous dishes. The meat itself is decent and flavorful. Other than that, the food didn’t match the hype.

By the way, this is what we have to look at before and after we ate those pork chops. This little pig is stationed right at the left side of the front door. I’m not sure if this is meant to stir up our appetite or not. Well, it didn’t. Maybe if they killed and fried the pig right there and then. Just kidding people…relax.

We ended the night by going to this bar lounge called the Gamers. True to its name, this place offers a variety of games such as billiards, darts, Wii, and some racing game like the ones you see at Dave & Buster’s. The games are cool but we came here for the “Speacil Cocktails”. Oh man, you gotta love it.

2008 NBA Draft Recap

I got up early to catch the 2008 NBA Draft a few days ago and fortunately the ESPN channel here had a live broadcast until the 21st pick then it switched off to some Wimbledon coverage (didn’t even know it started). One thing I missed out here is being able to mindlessly chat about sports with the likes of WonkiTime (new blog alert!) and OneYearinNYC (dude, if I was home, I would’ve definitely went with you to the Nash charity thing) and debate important things such as who should be the first pick: Rose or Beasley. But since I’m not home, this blog will have to do. I know it’s a bit late but here’s my take on the top 10 picks:

#1 – Derrick Rose / Chicago

Last year was Oden or Durant, this year it’s Rose or Beasley. I like Beasley but like most experts out there I’m on the Rose bandwagon. He just seems to have that “it” factor when he’s on the floor. Like Kobe or Wade, you just know they want to win more than anyone else. Besides, he’s darn good on both ends of the floor and will help the Bulls immediately.

#2 – Michael Beasley / Miami

I know Wade was hoping to get his boy Rose but Beasley is not a bad consolation prize. You know he can score and rebound but can he defend in the NBA? I think if he’s willing to put forth the effort, he’s got the talent to become the best player of this draft. Can he be better than Boozer or West? I think so. Better than maybe Amare? Time will tell.

#3 – O.J. Mayo / Memphis (via trade)

Back when I was working for Dime Magazine, we had this kid on our cover hyped as the Next LeBron. Well, it’s safe to say that Mayo is not quite there. It doesn’t mean he won’t be a great player one day. The kid’s got something to prove. He’s hardworking and an excellent defensive player – two things that’ll help you stay off the bench. Lets hope he doesn’t become the Reggie Bush of the NBA.

#4 – Russell Westbrook / Seattle

Watching Westbrook play reminded me of another very explosive and athletic guard back in the early 90’s – Kevin Johnson of the Phoenix Suns. Westbrook doesn’t have the same offensive skills as Johnson but he’s solid on the defensive side and has the speed to match the likes of Parker, Barbosa and Rondo.

#5 – Kevin Love / Minnesota (via trade)

If you want someone who can entertain the crowd at halftime then he’s your man. I don’t know why but I’m just not sold on him. I don’t think his game will translate well in the NBA. He struggled in the tourney when he went up against good defensive teams such as Standford and Memphis. He does have a solid basketball IQ and can shoot from the 3pt range. What he needs is explosiveness to go along with his strength.

#6 – Danilo Gallinari / New York

Sometimes subtraction is addition. I don’t know much about Gallinari except that he’s a very good offensive player that fits well with new coach Mike D’Antoni’s system. What I do know is that the New York Knicks has got better this off-season by simply removing this man from the Garden.

#7 – Eric Gordon / Los Angeles Clippers

I saw him played against Jeffrey Michael Jordan (yes, the son of Michael Jeffrey Jordan) in a high school game over a year ago where he completely dominated on the offensive end. I was thoroughly impressed. He will probably end up being a part-time scorer in the NBA similar to Ben Gordon.

#8 – Joe Alexander / Milwaukee

I don’t get this pick since they just traded for Richard Jefferson who also plays the 3. I would’ve went with a point guard here to help out Mo Williams in the backcourt but that’s just me.

#9 – D.J. Augustin / Charlotte

Kwame Brown. Adam Morrison. And now DJ Augustin. Not exactly the group you want to be associated with if you are Augustin. I thought for sure the Bobcats would draft Brook Lopez here. He would have been the perfect compliment to move Emeka Okafor to the 4th spot. Jordan must really love this kid which doesn’t bode well for Raymond Felton. Also, I hope this French kid (20th pick) works out for Jordan…

#10 – Brook Lopez / New Jersey

Solid pick at the 10th spot by the Nets. They would’ve love to have Danilo Gallinari here but it doesn’t hurt to have a big man with a defensive mindset. The future looks bright for the Nets with Lopez, Harris, Williams (x2), Krstic, and now Yi Jianlian. Their picks of Ryan Anderson (21th) and Chris Douglas-Roberts (40th – a steal if you ask me!) are also solid. Now they just need to replace Vince Carter with LeBron James come 2010 and they’ll be contending for years to come. Too bad they’ll be in Brooklyn by then.

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Anyway, the 2008 NBA Draft & draftees felt a bit nondescript. Maybe it’s because I’m overseas and didn’t get all hyped up by the media. In any case, this post took way too long. I’m tired of blogging already and it’s only been 3 posts. Nonetheless, keep a look out for more updates this week. We got plenty of materials but just need some time to convert & upload all the photos and videos. Thank you for your patience.

Quick Update…

Things have been moving rather quickly since we got here. Well, at least it seems like it has. We met some new friends and re-connected with some old ones. It’s good to have some locals to show you around and hang with. We’ll definitely start posting more interesting stuff once we get some family business taken care of. Andy is currently in the Kaohsiung region (Southern Taiwan) to visit his grandma & co. and should return this afternoon before we head out to Taipei tonite. And I just got back from Net Li (a town somewhere in Taiwan…) visiting my grandpa. I didn’t know he came back (from L.A.) to Taiwan so it was great to see him. Net Li has been home to my parents and grandparents and probably great grandparents, and who knows how far back it goes (I guess my grandpa does). My brother and I had spent a good chunk of our childhood here which not only seems distant now but quite foreign as well. This is the second time I’ve visited here in the span of four years. No one really lives here anymore. It feels a bit desolate…and extremely hot! I couldn’t sleep at all despite having the only sorta-working AC in the house. I don’t know how my grandpa does it. He’s a remarkable man.

Anyway, thanks for everyone’s feedback to the first post. We’ll try to hit up all those places if time and our wallet allows. But we’ll definitely try and check out the few recommended places to ball. I haven’t ball in more than a week and it’s making me squirm. I need it. I need it bad. Feel free to keep sending us suggestions if you got them. Let me end this post by testing out some of these fancy blogging features to bring some colors to this site. Someone has complained that this whole black & white thing is boring…

Andy foolishly mentioned The Medallion to Jackie Chan and BANG!!!… Seriously though, is there anyone currently alive that’s as “world famous” or more so than the Drunken Master himself? I can only think of these three names: Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson and Muhammed Ali. hmm maybe George W. Bush…

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Here’s our takeoff from JFK Airport. It’s only a minute long but it took me forever to upload it to Youtube. The original file was way too big. I needed to compress it which required me to download a video converter. What a pain…the video is not even all that interesting but please watch it to the very end. Thank you.

ps. if anyone has any tips on uploading videos and photos to a blog such as this please divulge.