Simple things

I watched an "I love Aaron Kwok" special on MTV here, which plays non-stop music videos and is great for practicing my Chinese. If I ever loved a pop singer, it's Aaron. He's Johnny Dep hot and has Justin Timberlake style and moves. People ridicule him for his simplistic pop lyrics, but he's a really good dancer, rare for an asian male I know, plus he's frickin hot. I think I can overlook the lack of deep meaning in his lyrics. Did I mention he was hot? His videos are awesome to watch because it's all dancing, and he has really good Janet (or even Michael) Jackson-in-the-old-days-type dancing at that.

Living in Taipei leaves one yearning for some calm and tranquility once in awhile. The hustle and bustle of the city is part of why I love it, but every now and then one needs to get away from the sweatiness and into Sogo or Mitsukoshi (popular Japanese department stores), or get a $13 foot massage, or a $5 head massage, or...join a posh, boutique-y yoga studio, which is what I did. The studio is like heaven, compared to the crowded, sweaty, dirty, cramped studios in new york. Almost literally too, because it's on the top floor of a 16 story building, and has floor to ceiling windows in all the practice rooms (yes, there are mutiple) and a 'resting' area. During class, I've taken to staring out the window, at the tangle of old tenements and new glass and steel. It's pretty amazing that the Taiwanese are into yoga, since 5 years ago it seemed like no one exercised except the mayor of Taipei (now President), who was a big runner. Even though you have to call ahead to book a spot in class, this ensures that the classes are never overcrowded (the opposite of doing yoga in new york, which stresses me out getting into a class). Sometimes I do like the Chinese way.

Given this is the land of silicon chip manufacturers, there's something very wrong with being on dial-up. After a lot of running around from telecom stores to 7-11's to electronics stores, it was confirmed for me that my only option was to go to a cafe with wi-fi. Sigh.

(7-11's in Taipei are pretty much the everything store. They sell everything from microwaved meals to umbrellas to wi-fi cards (which provide a pay-per-use wi-fi/ISP type service), as well as receive delivery packages for you to pick-up. And there are as many 7-11's in Taipei as bodegas in Manhattan)
The highlights of my days are simple things, usually involving food or some new discovery or the resolution of some errand (i.e. finding a grocery store that sells soy milk, harder than you think!). Some highlights include finding a good foot massage place in the hood, buying fresh leechees & super tasty apples, eating a vegetarian 'bian-dang' (take away). It rained the last two days, which is a relief because it's now a cool 77 degrees.