We almost had our outdoor photoshoot cancelled when the wedding boutique told us there was an emergency photoshoot for another couple. Well, the bride-to-be is pregnant and the couple are holding their wedding next month. Being nice, I agreed to postpone ours. Two days before the photoshoot day, we received another call from the wedding boutique that they have in fact reschedule another date for the couple and ours will continue as planned. :)
As we are recommended by the wedding boutique to get our own transport, I left home early to collect my uncle's car from my cousin. When I got home, Jul was still in bed and as expected, we're late again. Here are our outdoor places for photoshoot:
1. Hort Park (as recommended by Jul's friend)
2. Labrador Park
3. Gardens by the Bay
Of all the three, I liked Gardens by the Bay the most! Even though it was the most crowded of all the three places we went, I loved the beautiful night scenery especially the place where we could take with the Marina Bay Sands as the backdrop. I can't wait for the pictures to be ready.
Hort park was the first place of our photoshoot and it was really hot that afternoon. This was my first time wearing a suit in the hot afternoon and taking photos at the open. Jul was wearing a pink dress for the day shoot and was incredibly beautiful. In the late afternoon, we went to Labrador Park to capture the sunset. The only time I went to Labrador Park was during the National Education tour where we would visit the famous guns that was built during the early 40s to deter the Japanese from attacking us by the sea. We actually went to two places there. The first one was at the doors to the tunnel and followed by the seaside. The sea breeze made the place so relaxing and made us felt like sleeping. Needless to say, all of us were very tired including the photographer and our personal assistance, Ai En, Juliana's cousin.
As it was Friday evening, we were caught in a massive traffic jam while on our way to Gardens by the Bay for night shoot. Everyone except me were dozing off in the car. How I wish I was not driving... We managed to attract a lot of attention at Gardens by the Bay till tourists requesting us to take photos with us. Our photographer told us to reject them nicely as they would hinder our photoshoot progress.
It was a long day and we finally had our outdoor photoshoot done. It's never easy to schedule for a photoshoot with Jul's work so demanding. We would really like to thank Ai En for assisting us. I thought that should be the wedding boutique's job. I'm not giving any comments on them yet till I see their works on the photo editing and the actual day arrangement.
It's 23rd Jun! 3 more months to our ROM. Time to REGISTER! :)
Sunday, 23 June 2013
Sunday, 19 May 2013
Changi Airport Crowne Plaza Site Visit
The open house at Changi Airport Crowne Plaza Hotel was an excellent one. The ambiance was fabulous and we immediately decided to hold our ROM there after being showed the function room. As it was pretty crowded that day, we did not meet up with any sales consultant. Therefore, Juliana and I decided to send an email to schedule for an appointment on other days.
Emails after emails, followed by phone calls after phone calls, there was no reply as promised by the sales consultant whom I spoken to. I became impatient as we have only four months left to our big day and our venue has yet to confirm. I became very frustrated and decided to send an email to any Crowne Plaza personnel I see in my email. I saw the confirmation email sent by a representative for the open house and immediately 'shoot' an email to her. This is what I wrote:
Hi there,
I have tried numerous attempts to make an appointment to discuss on my solemnization but no one replied.
From the wedding show, I understand that there is vacancy for my ROM to hold there.(23 Sep 13)
As it was too crowded that day, I did not speak to any of the sales rep.
Therefore, I would like to make another appointment. I spoke to one of your staff (I can't remember her name) recently and she said she will inform the sales consultant and will get back to me via phone or email.
However, I received none! No phone calls or emails. I am becoming very frustrated. It seems like you guys are not interested at all.
Please get back to me ASAP.
Regards
Ruiz
Few days later, Alina, the main wedding sales consultant replied and an appointment was scheduled right away. During that appointment, I was showed the poolside and garden ROM location. Both locations are beautiful but I preferred the poolside (I think Juliana will agree with my choice as she's unavailable due to work). What surprised me was that a function room will be reserved for us in case of wet weather. Other than that, we were even offered a one night stay in their deluxe room. I am totally satisfied with the solemnization package offered.
With the venue confirmed, I can now relax a little and planned for other things for our special day.
Here's what I envisioned my ROM to be:
The guests start coming in to the reception area and well-dressed for the event. They will be offered to take polarite pictures with us while holding a huge heart-shaped prop labelled, "Ruiz and Juliana ROM" as a gift. While waiting, a reception video montage of us will be shown. After the solemnizer has arrived, we will move to the poolside for the commencement of our ROM. The bride will be coming in to the place later accompanied by her dad before handing Juliana's hand to me... Commencement of solemnization. After that, lunch will followed. End.
According to my Gantt chart, things are still in line. Now, I'm looking for a professional photographer to take down the beautiful event of ours.
Emails after emails, followed by phone calls after phone calls, there was no reply as promised by the sales consultant whom I spoken to. I became impatient as we have only four months left to our big day and our venue has yet to confirm. I became very frustrated and decided to send an email to any Crowne Plaza personnel I see in my email. I saw the confirmation email sent by a representative for the open house and immediately 'shoot' an email to her. This is what I wrote:
Hi there,
I have tried numerous attempts to make an appointment to discuss on my solemnization but no one replied.
From the wedding show, I understand that there is vacancy for my ROM to hold there.(23 Sep 13)
As it was too crowded that day, I did not speak to any of the sales rep.
Therefore, I would like to make another appointment. I spoke to one of your staff (I can't remember her name) recently and she said she will inform the sales consultant and will get back to me via phone or email.
However, I received none! No phone calls or emails. I am becoming very frustrated. It seems like you guys are not interested at all.
Please get back to me ASAP.
Regards
Ruiz
Few days later, Alina, the main wedding sales consultant replied and an appointment was scheduled right away. During that appointment, I was showed the poolside and garden ROM location. Both locations are beautiful but I preferred the poolside (I think Juliana will agree with my choice as she's unavailable due to work). What surprised me was that a function room will be reserved for us in case of wet weather. Other than that, we were even offered a one night stay in their deluxe room. I am totally satisfied with the solemnization package offered.
With the venue confirmed, I can now relax a little and planned for other things for our special day.
Here's what I envisioned my ROM to be:
The guests start coming in to the reception area and well-dressed for the event. They will be offered to take polarite pictures with us while holding a huge heart-shaped prop labelled, "Ruiz and Juliana ROM" as a gift. While waiting, a reception video montage of us will be shown. After the solemnizer has arrived, we will move to the poolside for the commencement of our ROM. The bride will be coming in to the place later accompanied by her dad before handing Juliana's hand to me... Commencement of solemnization. After that, lunch will followed. End.
According to my Gantt chart, things are still in line. Now, I'm looking for a professional photographer to take down the beautiful event of ours.
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Our Pre-wedding Photoshoot with Style Bridal
We signed a $3888 package with Style Bridal at a Singapore Expo's bridal roadshow. Our initial intention was to get a wedding solemnization package. I trusted my aunt who was working as a part time planner with Style Bridal and decided to take the full package. The ROM package is $688. As I was planning to have wedding dinner in the next few years, the full package will be more reasonable.
As we need a portrait for our wedding solemnization, we decided to have our photoshoot. Another reason is we will be departing to the States in November and will not have time to come back to Singapore for photoshoot and by the time we're back, we are already old! (It's refering to me as Ju will still be beautiful and gorgeous.)
In the eve of our photoshoot, we packed the required stuffs rather late as I was working and Ju celebrating her friend's daughter birthday. By the time everything was done, it was alrady 3.45am. I fell asleep almost immediately when I lie on the bed. Ju was too excited and couldn't sleep till 7. As a result, we were both very tired and were late for the photoshoot. The actual time was 10am and we reached at a quarter past 10. Besides, we hadn't had our breakfast yet! The stylist, a young Chinese lady in her 20s, told us to have a heavy one as it will be a long day. At about 11am, things were finally on its way.
Ju's makeup took approximately an hour while I took a nap on the comfortable leather couch in the studio. My makeup took about just 15 minutes. It's always the groom waiting for the bride as Ju needed help to wear the gowns. I was totally speechless when I saw Ju in the gown. She is extremely gorgeous! She looked like one of the models advertising for a bridal studio. I'm one lucky man!
The photoshoot was very tiring as we had to keep changing and posting for shots but we really enjoyed it especially the half nude shots. We were happily dancing around while waiting for the cameraman to prepare the background. There were lots of laughter and smiles. We would like to thank our families for making the time and effort to come for the photoshoot. We believe the pictures are going to be nice!
Photoshooting is not just simply a process. It captures those romantic and beautiful moments of our journey.
P.S. I'm getting impatient with Changi Crowne Plaza Hotel as they were slow in replying to my emails and NEVER got back to us! So disappointing!
As we need a portrait for our wedding solemnization, we decided to have our photoshoot. Another reason is we will be departing to the States in November and will not have time to come back to Singapore for photoshoot and by the time we're back, we are already old! (It's refering to me as Ju will still be beautiful and gorgeous.)
In the eve of our photoshoot, we packed the required stuffs rather late as I was working and Ju celebrating her friend's daughter birthday. By the time everything was done, it was alrady 3.45am. I fell asleep almost immediately when I lie on the bed. Ju was too excited and couldn't sleep till 7. As a result, we were both very tired and were late for the photoshoot. The actual time was 10am and we reached at a quarter past 10. Besides, we hadn't had our breakfast yet! The stylist, a young Chinese lady in her 20s, told us to have a heavy one as it will be a long day. At about 11am, things were finally on its way.
Ju's makeup took approximately an hour while I took a nap on the comfortable leather couch in the studio. My makeup took about just 15 minutes. It's always the groom waiting for the bride as Ju needed help to wear the gowns. I was totally speechless when I saw Ju in the gown. She is extremely gorgeous! She looked like one of the models advertising for a bridal studio. I'm one lucky man!
The photoshoot was very tiring as we had to keep changing and posting for shots but we really enjoyed it especially the half nude shots. We were happily dancing around while waiting for the cameraman to prepare the background. There were lots of laughter and smiles. We would like to thank our families for making the time and effort to come for the photoshoot. We believe the pictures are going to be nice!
Photoshooting is not just simply a process. It captures those romantic and beautiful moments of our journey.
P.S. I'm getting impatient with Changi Crowne Plaza Hotel as they were slow in replying to my emails and NEVER got back to us! So disappointing!
Sunday, 21 April 2013
Our Appointment with HDB
7th April, 8am, is our scheduled appointment with HDB. This second appointment will be finalizing our purchase of our first ever house, Tampines Greenlace. As it was too early for us, we decided to take a cab there to have a little more time for our sleep. We had a quite meaningful journey while on our way. The taxi driver shared his religious beliefs with us and we both found it pretty logical and similar to our beliefs. The words he shared were priceless.
We didn't wait long for our turn. About 15 minutes after registering, we saw our queue number flashing on the LED board. As it was Sunday, it wasn't crowded and only a few young couples like us were seen. Juliana and I were still very tired and we were trying very hard to keep our eyes open as we make our way to the official's cubicle. A bespectacled middle age man greeted us while he was preparing the required documents for us, 'Good morning!' Mr Wu and Miss Juliana?' assuring he was serving the right clients. 'Yup!' we replied. 'Take a seat.' he smiled. I was pretty anxious to hear what he's going to tell us after that.
All it took was 20 minutes to explain to us the amount going to be deducted from our CPF account, the option fee to be returned to us, the consequences if we parted ways halfway (we don't need to know as we love each other!) and when will be our next appointment. $1,700+ is our monthly loan installment. That's a lot of monthly but with our CPF at the moment, it seemed healthy. Definitely, both of us must work to prevent any cash top up. Sigh! What a high standard living cost! I need to start planning to ORD.
House to be ready in mid 2017 and I put in a request to extend our stay in states. First, we would have enough money for wedding and secondly, we would have money to do some renovation for our new house. Besides, we can have more time exploring the states and the world. Pray for peace!
We didn't wait long for our turn. About 15 minutes after registering, we saw our queue number flashing on the LED board. As it was Sunday, it wasn't crowded and only a few young couples like us were seen. Juliana and I were still very tired and we were trying very hard to keep our eyes open as we make our way to the official's cubicle. A bespectacled middle age man greeted us while he was preparing the required documents for us, 'Good morning!' Mr Wu and Miss Juliana?' assuring he was serving the right clients. 'Yup!' we replied. 'Take a seat.' he smiled. I was pretty anxious to hear what he's going to tell us after that.
All it took was 20 minutes to explain to us the amount going to be deducted from our CPF account, the option fee to be returned to us, the consequences if we parted ways halfway (we don't need to know as we love each other!) and when will be our next appointment. $1,700+ is our monthly loan installment. That's a lot of monthly but with our CPF at the moment, it seemed healthy. Definitely, both of us must work to prevent any cash top up. Sigh! What a high standard living cost! I need to start planning to ORD.
House to be ready in mid 2017 and I put in a request to extend our stay in states. First, we would have enough money for wedding and secondly, we would have money to do some renovation for our new house. Besides, we can have more time exploring the states and the world. Pray for peace!
Thursday, 28 March 2013
Our Little House
Tampines Greenlace.. Our queue number was way out at 217 but we were very lucky to be able to make a selection as some people before us dropped out. Block 871B #04-22. Everyone would have wished they had picked a great location and we hoped we picked the right one too.
This house of ours don't come cheap. At 94 square meters and buying at a price of $334,390.00, is very very expensive as compared to house in the states. (My American friends will be laughing at us.) It's ridiculous but we have no choice. Somewhere, something must have gone so wrong. No use complaining as everyone is sharing the same problem. Looking at the bright side, our house is considered near to our parents' as we are just a bus ride away.
Finally, works are underway. They are already clearing the forest and it's really happy to see things progressing. The completion date of our home is set at 2017 but we were told by our peers that they will usually be ready before the date of completion. Hopefully, it will be ready by 2016 when we returned from Idaho.
The process of purchasing a house is not easy as we had sent numerous paper works like pay slips, letter of employment, university letter etc. to HDB just to get our loan approved. Last week, I received a letter telling us that our application for extra grant has been approved. Today, I received a letter to inform us about our appointment to sign the lease and etc. The amount we have to pay was astonishing but fortunately, we have enough funds in our CPF if not we'll have to come out the extra cash. Phew.. Just got my bonus.. Time to save this money up for rainy days.
This house of ours don't come cheap. At 94 square meters and buying at a price of $334,390.00, is very very expensive as compared to house in the states. (My American friends will be laughing at us.) It's ridiculous but we have no choice. Somewhere, something must have gone so wrong. No use complaining as everyone is sharing the same problem. Looking at the bright side, our house is considered near to our parents' as we are just a bus ride away.
Finally, works are underway. They are already clearing the forest and it's really happy to see things progressing. The completion date of our home is set at 2017 but we were told by our peers that they will usually be ready before the date of completion. Hopefully, it will be ready by 2016 when we returned from Idaho.
The process of purchasing a house is not easy as we had sent numerous paper works like pay slips, letter of employment, university letter etc. to HDB just to get our loan approved. Last week, I received a letter telling us that our application for extra grant has been approved. Today, I received a letter to inform us about our appointment to sign the lease and etc. The amount we have to pay was astonishing but fortunately, we have enough funds in our CPF if not we'll have to come out the extra cash. Phew.. Just got my bonus.. Time to save this money up for rainy days.
Sunday, 24 March 2013
Venue...Venue..
Everything seemed set for our solemnization except for the venue. We have yet to decide on the place to hold our special day. So far, we have only managed to visit Seletar Country Club which is isolated near Seletar Airport. We have Aranda Country Club and Changi Airport Crowne Plaza Hotel in our minds but due to time constraint, we have yet to make an appointment to visit either one.
My aunt showed us some packages and photos that Crowne Plaza is offering and we thought it was fantastic! The ambiance is perfect and the packages are within our budget. I tried numerous times to contact Jesmi, the sales executive but to no avail. I believed she called me once but I was at work and didn't managed to receive her call. Hopefully we can make a site visit next week when Ju and I are on night shift.
The chances on holding our special day in Aranda Country Club is rather slim as they don't open on Mondays. But who knows, maybe when there is business, things might change. Tuesday seemed like a good time to visit Aranda Country Club but I might be visiting alone as Ju will be resting at home after completed her night shift.
Yesterday, we bought a ladies' Chelsea home kit at $40 from Peninsula Plaza for our outdoor photo shoot on 27 April. We have decided to wear soccer jerseys instead of NBA tops as it is easier to purchase here. We can't wait for the photo shoot to come as it is going to be fun and memorable one. As the days come by, we definitely have to decide on the venue to hold this special days of ours. A day we are announce man and wife.
My aunt showed us some packages and photos that Crowne Plaza is offering and we thought it was fantastic! The ambiance is perfect and the packages are within our budget. I tried numerous times to contact Jesmi, the sales executive but to no avail. I believed she called me once but I was at work and didn't managed to receive her call. Hopefully we can make a site visit next week when Ju and I are on night shift.
The chances on holding our special day in Aranda Country Club is rather slim as they don't open on Mondays. But who knows, maybe when there is business, things might change. Tuesday seemed like a good time to visit Aranda Country Club but I might be visiting alone as Ju will be resting at home after completed her night shift.
Yesterday, we bought a ladies' Chelsea home kit at $40 from Peninsula Plaza for our outdoor photo shoot on 27 April. We have decided to wear soccer jerseys instead of NBA tops as it is easier to purchase here. We can't wait for the photo shoot to come as it is going to be fun and memorable one. As the days come by, we definitely have to decide on the venue to hold this special days of ours. A day we are announce man and wife.
Sunday, 17 March 2013
Taipei
Even though this was not our first time to Taipei, we were still very excited to visit the wonderful place where the food are fantastic, the people are polite and friendly and most importantly, the beautiful scenery surrounding it.
As it was late afternoon when we arrived at Taipei, the main station was crowded with working personnel who just knocked off from work. I believe most of them were like us. feeling hungry and tired and we couldn't wait to check in to our hotel.
With the size of our luggage, we had to fetch a MPV cab to In House Hotel in Ximending. While on our way, he offered a one day tour Taipei to us. However, his kind effort was turned down as we already booked a driver whom was highly recommended. His name is Meeky.
Ximending is a populous place for entertaining street performers and young people to hang around, be it a small gathering or shopping. I can see that they really love the place. Besides, it is a place where the most famous Mee Sua outlet called Ah Zhong Mee Sua is located. Everyone who came to Taipei must at least try once. It is made up of flour vermicelli and pork intestines. Though pork intestines are quite unhealthy, but havin come all the way to Taipei, it's just worthwhile.
The hotel we were staying in is located right at the entrance of Ximending and is relatively new. By just turning left twice, we will find ourselves in Ximending. Its lobby is pretty posh and looked like it will turn into a crowded nightclub with beautiful bar girls serving you ice cold beer at night. The room is incredible! I think at SGD110 per night, it's a bargain! The bed is comfortable and the bathroom which provides Loccintane products. The hotel service was excellent except for some receptionists who just give you a cold shoulder.
Shilin Night Market is different. There used to be a food center and a shopping district. During this visit, we were told that the food center had been torn down and all the food stalls were moved to the new food district in the basement of the shopping district. The new food center was very stuffy and it was not as enjoyable as before. To make things worse, it was overcrowded. The new Shilin Night Market is not as fun as before. Some interesting places like the pets' corner was no longer there.
The most memorable part of this trip was the one day tour to Yeliu, Jiufen and Shifen with Meeky. Meeky is highly recommended by people in the forums and I'm not surprise about that as he is very friendly and sincere when driving us around unlike the driver in Taichung. Besides he has alot of Singapore souvenirs from returning customers in his car. Even the cap he wore is from Singapore. Upon hearing we were interested to get sun cakes, he drove us to the most popular sun cakes shop, Chia Te, in Taipei. It was not included in the itinerary he usually provides. As he was afraid we had too many stuffs with us, he drove us back to our hotel to offload the things before driving us to our final stop, Shilin Night Market. We were so grateful with his outstanding service and a tip for him is inevitable.
The trip to Yeliu was specially catered for Elmo and Mich who had never been there before. I thought the trip to see the "Empress' Head" would be worthwhile but everything seemed spoiled when it was too crowded with mainland Chinese. Similar to those in Singapore, the mainlanders talked loudly, made security guards work their heads off and took so much time to take pictures with the "Empress' Head". Luckily the weather was fine and not as hot as in September. Jiufen is the same as usual. Nothing changed much. Scenery at the end of Jiufen Street is beautiful still. The famous braised pork rice is delicious just like the past. 'Lai Ah Po' glutinous yam balls are so fantastic that one is never enough.
Along our way to Shifen, Meeky brought us to a few scenery places where tour company might not even bring you there. They are the "Golden Waterfall', 'Yin Yang' sea and Shi yan. Those places were amazing and we took lots of beautiful yet epic photos as remembrance. Shifen was never famous in Taipei until the movie, 那些年, was filmed there and broke lots of records in Taiwan. Ever since that, a lot of locals and tourists are attracted to Shifen for the sending of the 'Kong Ming' lantern or the sky lantern to the sky. It was said that in the past, the commoners send these lanterns to the sky towards heaven to wish and pray for good luck and blessings. We went to the shop as recommended by Meeky and made our very first sky lantern and released it to the sky while on the railway track as we prayed for good health, good luck and wonderful marriage for ourselves and our loved ones. Shifen is a decent place for couples who wanted to have their wedding photos taken and tourists must go there even if it is pretty far from Taipei.
Wu Fen Pu shopping district is definitely a must-go place in Taipei for shopaholics. There were so many shops there that make it looked like heaven to the ladies. Unfortunately for Juliana, most of the items on sale were for the autumn and winter season. Very few clothes were available for Singapore's hot weather. I would prefer to shop in Bangkok where the things are way cheaper. Usually after Wu Fen Pu, most people would plan like us by going to Raohe Street Night Market for dinner. It was a little crowded as most people were going for dinner. We settled our dinner at some western-local mix cafe and their beef were delicious. Other than the main course, they provided free flow of soup and drinks with the price at approximately NT450. After dinner, we spent some time walking along the street and had some snacks along the way. With Juliana around, you just couldn't stop eating.
Tamsui was our last stop in Taipei. There isn't many attractions and interesting sites to visit there. One of the reason for the trip was to buy the famous fish crackers called 'Xu Yi' which is a century old stall selling fish crackers. Other than fish crackers, another popular snacks you can get there is 'Ah Po' braised eggs. These braised eggs are different as they were boiled for very long in braised sauce that it became solid black and hard. Another reason for making the thirty minutes long trip was the famous 'Ake' in Tamsui old street. It is made up of beancurd and fish paste with fillings like abalone and other ingredients based on which flavor you ordered. The Lovers' Pier shouldn't be missed since we were already there. However, the trip was pretty wasted as the weather was cold and windy over there.
Taiwanese artiste are well-known in Singapore. Artiste like Jay Chou, Show Lo, Jolin Tsai, Rainie Yang and lots more if you name them, have huge fan base in Singapore. Their songs, film and drama are not new to us. Therefore, upon hearing that Jay Chou owned a few restaurants in Taipei, we planned to pay a visit to the one in ZhongXiao. Even though the restaurant was opened by a well-known artiste but it was located away from the Metro station. We had a hard time finding it and thanks to modern technologies, the smart phone and friendly passer-by. The food in Mr J was mediocre and not exactly worth the price and effort to get there. As it was Mich's birthday, we decided to celebrate for her at Mr J.
Juliana and I really enjoyed this holiday even though it was just a week long. It is not about the duration of trip but the person you're with that make it worthwhile. Those quality time spent are priceless and we wished we could just stay there a little longer or maybe away from work. Even when we're heading to the airport, the journey was amazing as Juliana and Mich enjoyed the karaoke system on board the cab. The holiday was unforgettable with so much sweet memories left behind. The smiles in all our pictures explained it all.
As it was late afternoon when we arrived at Taipei, the main station was crowded with working personnel who just knocked off from work. I believe most of them were like us. feeling hungry and tired and we couldn't wait to check in to our hotel.
With the size of our luggage, we had to fetch a MPV cab to In House Hotel in Ximending. While on our way, he offered a one day tour Taipei to us. However, his kind effort was turned down as we already booked a driver whom was highly recommended. His name is Meeky.
Ximending is a populous place for entertaining street performers and young people to hang around, be it a small gathering or shopping. I can see that they really love the place. Besides, it is a place where the most famous Mee Sua outlet called Ah Zhong Mee Sua is located. Everyone who came to Taipei must at least try once. It is made up of flour vermicelli and pork intestines. Though pork intestines are quite unhealthy, but havin come all the way to Taipei, it's just worthwhile.
The hotel we were staying in is located right at the entrance of Ximending and is relatively new. By just turning left twice, we will find ourselves in Ximending. Its lobby is pretty posh and looked like it will turn into a crowded nightclub with beautiful bar girls serving you ice cold beer at night. The room is incredible! I think at SGD110 per night, it's a bargain! The bed is comfortable and the bathroom which provides Loccintane products. The hotel service was excellent except for some receptionists who just give you a cold shoulder.
Shilin Night Market is different. There used to be a food center and a shopping district. During this visit, we were told that the food center had been torn down and all the food stalls were moved to the new food district in the basement of the shopping district. The new food center was very stuffy and it was not as enjoyable as before. To make things worse, it was overcrowded. The new Shilin Night Market is not as fun as before. Some interesting places like the pets' corner was no longer there.
The most memorable part of this trip was the one day tour to Yeliu, Jiufen and Shifen with Meeky. Meeky is highly recommended by people in the forums and I'm not surprise about that as he is very friendly and sincere when driving us around unlike the driver in Taichung. Besides he has alot of Singapore souvenirs from returning customers in his car. Even the cap he wore is from Singapore. Upon hearing we were interested to get sun cakes, he drove us to the most popular sun cakes shop, Chia Te, in Taipei. It was not included in the itinerary he usually provides. As he was afraid we had too many stuffs with us, he drove us back to our hotel to offload the things before driving us to our final stop, Shilin Night Market. We were so grateful with his outstanding service and a tip for him is inevitable.
The trip to Yeliu was specially catered for Elmo and Mich who had never been there before. I thought the trip to see the "Empress' Head" would be worthwhile but everything seemed spoiled when it was too crowded with mainland Chinese. Similar to those in Singapore, the mainlanders talked loudly, made security guards work their heads off and took so much time to take pictures with the "Empress' Head". Luckily the weather was fine and not as hot as in September. Jiufen is the same as usual. Nothing changed much. Scenery at the end of Jiufen Street is beautiful still. The famous braised pork rice is delicious just like the past. 'Lai Ah Po' glutinous yam balls are so fantastic that one is never enough.
Along our way to Shifen, Meeky brought us to a few scenery places where tour company might not even bring you there. They are the "Golden Waterfall', 'Yin Yang' sea and Shi yan. Those places were amazing and we took lots of beautiful yet epic photos as remembrance. Shifen was never famous in Taipei until the movie, 那些年, was filmed there and broke lots of records in Taiwan. Ever since that, a lot of locals and tourists are attracted to Shifen for the sending of the 'Kong Ming' lantern or the sky lantern to the sky. It was said that in the past, the commoners send these lanterns to the sky towards heaven to wish and pray for good luck and blessings. We went to the shop as recommended by Meeky and made our very first sky lantern and released it to the sky while on the railway track as we prayed for good health, good luck and wonderful marriage for ourselves and our loved ones. Shifen is a decent place for couples who wanted to have their wedding photos taken and tourists must go there even if it is pretty far from Taipei.
Wu Fen Pu shopping district is definitely a must-go place in Taipei for shopaholics. There were so many shops there that make it looked like heaven to the ladies. Unfortunately for Juliana, most of the items on sale were for the autumn and winter season. Very few clothes were available for Singapore's hot weather. I would prefer to shop in Bangkok where the things are way cheaper. Usually after Wu Fen Pu, most people would plan like us by going to Raohe Street Night Market for dinner. It was a little crowded as most people were going for dinner. We settled our dinner at some western-local mix cafe and their beef were delicious. Other than the main course, they provided free flow of soup and drinks with the price at approximately NT450. After dinner, we spent some time walking along the street and had some snacks along the way. With Juliana around, you just couldn't stop eating.
Tamsui was our last stop in Taipei. There isn't many attractions and interesting sites to visit there. One of the reason for the trip was to buy the famous fish crackers called 'Xu Yi' which is a century old stall selling fish crackers. Other than fish crackers, another popular snacks you can get there is 'Ah Po' braised eggs. These braised eggs are different as they were boiled for very long in braised sauce that it became solid black and hard. Another reason for making the thirty minutes long trip was the famous 'Ake' in Tamsui old street. It is made up of beancurd and fish paste with fillings like abalone and other ingredients based on which flavor you ordered. The Lovers' Pier shouldn't be missed since we were already there. However, the trip was pretty wasted as the weather was cold and windy over there.
Taiwanese artiste are well-known in Singapore. Artiste like Jay Chou, Show Lo, Jolin Tsai, Rainie Yang and lots more if you name them, have huge fan base in Singapore. Their songs, film and drama are not new to us. Therefore, upon hearing that Jay Chou owned a few restaurants in Taipei, we planned to pay a visit to the one in ZhongXiao. Even though the restaurant was opened by a well-known artiste but it was located away from the Metro station. We had a hard time finding it and thanks to modern technologies, the smart phone and friendly passer-by. The food in Mr J was mediocre and not exactly worth the price and effort to get there. As it was Mich's birthday, we decided to celebrate for her at Mr J.
Juliana and I really enjoyed this holiday even though it was just a week long. It is not about the duration of trip but the person you're with that make it worthwhile. Those quality time spent are priceless and we wished we could just stay there a little longer or maybe away from work. Even when we're heading to the airport, the journey was amazing as Juliana and Mich enjoyed the karaoke system on board the cab. The holiday was unforgettable with so much sweet memories left behind. The smiles in all our pictures explained it all.
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