Survivor of 1935 earthquake

On April 21, 1935, a 7.1 earthquake shook central Taiwan around 6:02 am.

A baby girl barely one year old was sleeping inside a bamboo basinet on the second floor of a house built with fine wood.

The basinet fell into an open drain and was toppled with piles of wood from the fallen building which killed one unlucky neighbor. However all residents of that house was able to escape to safty when they started to look for the baby. Following weak crying through the cracks, they lifted debris to find the baby with the help of a strong neighbor whose work was transporting carriages. The man of the house was not at home that morning as he went to a nearby town for a festival. They were relieved to see the baby alive with a big bump on the left side of her head.

This survivor of earthquake is my mom. I found a picture of the town she lived right after that disaster.

Miramar Mall

I took the metro train to Miramar Entertainment Park (mall) in Taipei. I have to change train at Taipei railrod station and then change again for the small train of Wen-hu line. This is the new line that goes between Nei-hu and Taipei Zoo. I rode this new route for the first time. The train goes through a tunnel and passes by Taipei Song-san Airport. The view of the airport is spectacular. A helicopter was landing right when we got there. After this outing I rode the free shuttle offered by Miramar mall back to Chien-tan metro station.

In the front of the mall is TGIFriday. Inside the mall, a long line of people wait in front of the Cold Stone counter. The line is even longer than the line in front of 85'C Irvine store, as it's Sunday and the mall is packed. There's also an Imax movie theater in the mall.

Blogger issues

Even though I started using blogger more than a year ago, I can't post as I'd like to. It's very hard to move text and picture around. Is it only me?

That explains why some of my pictures are out of order and why I can only post short entries. I'm considering starting another blog somewhere else.

Roast Duck

Rosat duck is one of the food you must have in Taiwan.

It's almost impossible to make at home. All the roast duck stores here sell only roast ducks because it's so time consuming. We have sliced duck meat for wrapping and also a stir-fried dish. Both are delicious.

New School Year

Nothing represents the beginning of a new school year like a new backpack.

This cute bunny backpack is discovered in the traditional market, next to live chicken, fish, fresh flowers, vegetables and cooked food. It costs about $6.

Capricciosa

We went to an Italian restaurant for lunch. The food is modified for Japanese and Taiwanese flavor. We had pizza with salmon and squid. Pasta with pesto sauce and pasta with tomato/garlic sauce. The special sauce make the pasta delicious. We also had salad and appetizer (chicken roll and fried squid ring). When everyone is full, the waitress brought desert which I had to skip.

Grandma's new look

Grandma got a new haircut today at the hair salon in the hospital.

Give Away

I'm giving away these 3 prizes for whoever leave a comment and claim the prize first. One prize per person.

Morning walk in the park

This water fountain is being repaired again.

Went for a walk in the park with my mom. Around 5:30 in the morning it is 30 degree C. There're not as many people in this park. The temperature quickly climbs to 33 degree in an hour.

Mail art collections

Taiwanese children's book illustrator Chen Ming-Chin corresponded with children's books illustrators all over the world. Even though they speak different languages, their mail art communicate across culture. I really enjoy looking at these mail art created by professional illustators, especially in this era of electronic communication.

crochet kitchen helper

It took me less than an hour to finish this using organic cotten. This can be used in the kitchen to wash dishes or as a hot pad.
This is the first crochet project I started during this trip. I don't want to be too ambitious.

First week in Taiwan: color leads for automatic pencil, mechanical pencils, pens, eraser, glue sticks, pencil pouch and a bag.