Farmer's Market

After a six hour ride from Los Angeles to San Francisco, my road trip comrade Jennifer Lo (jlO) and I headed towards the shores, expecting to land at the Fisherman's Wharf. Imagine our surprise when we come out of the parking structure to find ourselves, yes, by the beach...

but also by the local farmer's market.  Luckily, Spring is the perfect season to appreciate the bountiful harvest provided for us by dear ol' Mother Earth.  

As if all the scrumptious eatery weren't enough to satisfy our senses, Embacadero Street was also surrounded by lovely sights...

and sounds...

to thrill.  Thank You for all the beauty in the world! (Including jlO. =))

A Tale

Janice and JlO's journey to the Jason Mraz jubilant jam began early Saturday morning. Oh boy, was it early.  Especially for Janice, whose body seemed to have picked the worst day to suffer some jet lag and woke her up at 2 in the morning, never able to go back to sleep again afterwards.

The road was windy and long and the trip was one filled with mellow music (surprisingly, not too much Mraz. You'd think we'd want to prep ourselves) and lovely scenery.  It even contained some surprise stops to frolic in the fields and take a closer look at the majestic Californian windmills.

But alas, frequent distractions like this made the journey even lengthier so it was to our heroines' relieves when the light at the end of the tunnel welcomed them with open arms. 

San Francisco was fun and Jason Mraz was spectacular but all good journeys have a final destination. In this case, it was the front of Reiber Vista.  To rate Janice and jlO's journey success? Why...two (four) thumbs up of course!

Date With Mraz

"You and I Both" know that Jason Mraz is my absolute favorite singer EVER.  "I'll Do Anything" to see him in concert. (In fact, I already have once, I'm just a "Geek in the Pink" like that.)  I would sell "1000 Things" or lose "Sleep All Day" just to indulge in this "Common Pleasure" of watching my favorite songster perform. 

And that's basically what we did.  jlO and I drove all the way up from LA to San Fran in the course of a day to watch the "Music, Magic and Make Peace"  tour put on by Jason and friends. We lost sleep, lost a lot of money in our wallets, lost some feeling in our feet but found ourselves enjoying one of the best weekends ever.  It was "Strange" driving on San Fran soil but there was "No Stopping Us" and "No Doubling Back." I just wanted to tell Jason..."I'm Yours."  I never got to 'cause I'm just "Shy That Way" but I did get to catch an awesome performance that will stay with me for days to come.

BTW: I was most definitely trying to do some "Wordplay." 

Music is my Boyfriend

When traveling, there's a lot of free time on the plane or train.  I myself always tend to pack a carry-on full of goodies to keep me preoccupied through the ride (or flight).  There's always a couple of magazines, my journal, my homework, some books, food, laptop, (it's a large carry-on) and most importantly, my lovely ipOd! (his name is Solaris) 

With people taking their ipods or mp3 players with them anywhere they travel, it's important to keep said gadget clean and safe.  This is where sheer whimsy comes in.  My crafty good friend Helen has gone all entrepreneurial and have created some beautiful cases for which to put your valuable techs into.  You can custom order a one-of-a kind protector on her etsy shop.  Be sure to check it out!  Here are just a small sampling of her gorgeous creations.

Despite all the great things one can do on the plane or train or car, there is nothing that beats just plain ol' knocking out.  

At least I am able to go to sleep knowing my belongings are safely stored in their customized sheer whimsy bags!

A Walk in the Park

Omm...
Beautiful Khaosiung was perfect for a day at the local art park.  The park is the perfect place to make a poem. (A shoddy one but it rhymes!)

Beautiful traditional Chinese music trickling in the air...

the wind blowing in your hair...

look! what's over there?

just bell art ringing in your ear

I love my family anywhere!

Taipei 101

Once upon a time, a city by the name of Taipei  decided to build the tallest completed skyscraper in the world.  It was 101 stories high and an unbelievably lengthy display of human craftsmanship, even hailed as one of the seven new wonders of the world in 2006.  That is, until 2007 when Dubai superceded it with an even taller skyscraper.  

Nevertheless, this Taiwanese trademark is still a must-see for travelers. I even went twice! But I only rode to the top once.  The first time, we went on a bright and early morning and got to take in some pretty unique art pieces surrounding the building. Chess men! On the streets!

I literally fell in love with this "love" sculpture by Robert Indiana.  Famed pop artist Indiana had infamously forgot to copyright his "love" image and so this sculpture is installed in many cities around the world.  Someday, I hope to visit all the cities that contain this sculpture!

The second time, we actually rode to the top of the building and overlooked an amazing view of the city.

The interior of the building was pretty cool too. It had a mall, office buildings, grocery stores and this one trippy level with all these interesting glowing lights.

We also got to snap shots with the thing that was pretty much keeping us all alive, the building's tuned mass damper that helps balances the tower during times of high winds (and oh boy were those winds ever high...)

Thanks Damper! You rock!

These boots...

were NOT made for walking. 

 This is what I realized traipsing all around Taipei on the hunt for good food, good bargains and good sights.  The more nourished my stomach, the fuller my camera's memory card, and the heavier my shopping bags, the more pain and abuse my poor feet suffered.  After all, Taipei is a fairly large city, with buildings that look very similar to one another.

It is very easy to get lost if you don't know where you're going.  

To spare yourself the trouble of burying your nose in a travel guide or map, it's always convenient to hop into one of the many many MANY yellow taxi-cabs whose drivers are more than happy to take you to your destination for a mere fee of 70NT basic starting fee for 1.65 km and then 5NT extra every 0.3 km.  Sure beats NYC prices.  

If taxis aren't your thing, then there are plenty of other transportation options available.  You can hang on for your dear life on the subway...

(they're really scared. Promise.)

Or zoom by on the also bountiful variety of scooters/motorcycles (varies depending on how bad-ass you are)

Or take a nap on the train...

(I had just woken up but the guy across from me; still knocked out!)

Or even enjoy the view from atop a gondola!

Or, if you just prefer the old fashioned way of walking, do it. Plenty of people do.  But beware, donning the wrong pair of shoes might make you a...

You get the picture.