Around The Corner

Dear Pipsqueaks,

Thank Goodness It's Friday! Sure feels like lots had happened since I last updated, so I'm not quite sure what I'd shared and what I haven't, but will share what I can remember.

Firstly, a close friend of mine had gone into surgery early this week and now is recovering well. That's always good to hear, and an even bigger motivation to keep myself in good health. Yes, I've been doing a lot more running but I'm not sure if my right knee and left ankle can handle this weight (haha, ironic that I need them to lose this weight first in order to lighten the load!) But so far so good! The only worry is that for the 3/4 of August, I'll be on the move. So not sure how to keep this level up, but will find a way! As they say, "Where there is a will, there is a way!"

About turning 30 - I'm not quite sure what to think of it, and perhaps it's not that big of a deal as I thought it would be. Actually, I don't feel any different than when I celebrated my 25th. But I suppose it should be important - in that I officially am OLD. I won't be able to play the cute card as innocently as I used to, haha. Just kidding, I'd still try my hand anyway: there will be takers!

Mothers & Knocked Up

Dear Pipsqueaks,

Not sure whether that was a nightmare or what, but after waking up, now I can't get back to sleep so I'm just going to write until the rest of the world wakes up.

Perhaps the two had some correlation but I'll let you decide.

So just before I went to shower for bed, mama was in my room flipping through my closet asking what I'd bring to this mini trip we're going on. Because it was past midnight, I just wanted her to get to bed first and I'll sort out the rest. "Mama, I'm turning 30. I can pack myself." She said okay while closing all the doors she opened and quietly left my room.

You have no idea how guilty I felt. I thought about how she carried me for 10 months & took care of me since...and I knew I shouldn't have said that to her. It must have been painful to hear, even though it was the truth. Let's face it, no parent wants to feel like their kid doesn't need them anymore. But we grow up and old despite them wanting to take care of us forever. Even so, I think we still need to give them a sense of being needed - always. So here's to NEVER saying something so hurtful to my parents ever again. If she wants to pack for me, then I'm gonna let her do all of it. If that's what makes her happy - that's a done deal for me.

CNY2017: 2nd Day

Dear Pipsqueaks,

Another early wake just to meet up with my mom's side at granny's place 7am sharp. Of course, that was such an unlikely time for us since we were easily 45mins away, so we had to wake up at 5.45am. Urgh. Let's not forget that I slept around 2am...

But so, we forced ourselves out of bed to leave the house at 6.15, and picked up my favourite "fantuan" - which literally translates to rice ball. It comes in both savoury and sweet, but I always prefer sweet. With a cup of hot milk tea...yum!

Then, we spent the next 4 hours on the road driving to the very south tip of Taiwan. I don't remember it being such a long time, but I did sleep most of the way...

After a delicious lunch, 20mins on the ferry and 10mins scooter, we arrived at our stay for the next 3 nights. Honestly too tired to head out but we couldn't miss the sunset, so we rode out to the well known viewpoint to wait for the sunset.

Sunsets are always beautiful. Now, going to play some dice with the family!

PS. The 2nd day of Chinese New Year is when the daughters return to their home to spend some time with their family. This is when grandma is most happy =)

CNY2017: New Year's Day

Dear Pipsqueaks,

With an 8am call, I was downstairs ready to go by 8.30am only to find out mama hasn't finished preparing breakfast and le sister was still asleep. So I watched TV for an hour before anything was actually happening. Don't get me wrong - I'd love to help out in our tiny kitchen. It's just the belief that every kitchen can only accommodate one chef, so better I just stay out of her way for her to go turbo. At least I helped with the washing...

After we finished breakfast, we began our traditional walk every New Year's Day - a visit to the 4 temples. The literal translation is "walk spring", which to others and in ancient times be treated as a walk to greet other family members and friends. Just a way to start the new year. There are tons of other traditions we do during this holiday season, which unfortunately I doubt I'd be able to completely pass on to my children. I note a few every year, but just the food preparation itself is enough for a full term university course. Don't even start on the rest!

Anyway, the walk ended at a cafe shop (we would normally never go to this one except all the previous 5 were closed), and we clocked in at 7000ish steps. That was enough for us to call it a day...at 1.30pm.

Of course not. We quickly went home and packed for the trip down south. It didn't take me long to do mine since I came in a luggage, but the rest of them...all I can say is, I've found a group that'd match the 'mou-ness' of my housemate. 'Mou' meaning to take an excessive amount of time to do something. So we didn't leave the house until close to 5:45pm. I even hung the clothes and took out the trash while waiting. This is when I thank the inventor of the modern TV so I could be at least somewhat entertained.

The drive down to midlands was surprisingly clear despite all the road reports of 30km/hr speeds. We even stopped by a rest area for dinner and still managed to reach around 8pm. Not bad eh for a new year's day drive that normally takes around 3~4 hours.

When we reached the old house, you could see how the weeds have grown into the drive way down into the valley. The place, which used to house the family business, has been in this obsolete state for more than a decade. Around the same time when grandpa passed away, if I remember it right. I suppose that's what happens when the head of the family leaves? The rest loses their sense of unity, even if it's only by a slight. That's enough to widen the already existing gap caused by the family business.

All the change could be seen by looking at this family house. This amazing 4 floor, 14 rooms, 11 washroom, and 5 living room space family house was a proud product of my papa's creation. I still remember the first time we visited when the building was in construction. Every corridor hinted a new adventure. And how each space was connected to one another, it really made a house into a home.

It was a magnificent view during its golden days. Like a fortress, it holds well many of my childhood memories. Many firsts here. But like us, this home aged...and not in a good way. Cracked tiles, broken doors and clogged pipes. A sad condition for something that had once been such an inspiring place.

Maybe it's a good thing we're going to revamp the whole valley. It doesn't deserve how it's being treated now, so better let it go. At least the memories remain cheerful.

A quick chat with my cousin, we called it a night at 2am. Early wake tomorrow to meet up with mama's side of the family.

Happy New Year!

CNY2017: New Year's Eve

Dear Pipsqueaks,

You can't imagine how many things need to be done for the new years in my house. By the time le sister and I had walked out for our first meal (which was about 11ish), my parents were on their way back home already. They were hands full with groceries and a whole bunch of stuff. And you guessed it, mama had sent out a list earlier on the things she wanted us to bring home on our outing. Our run-in was another chance for her to remind us all the things that still need to be done...GREAT. All while we were still hungry.

But luckily we ran into them. We found out that our top two choices for brunch were not open. Go figures, but okay. At least we didn't waste time walking all the way over there to find out. We re-routed to the market and had dumplings there instead. Surprisingly delicious and totally something to try, this shop is on the 2nd floor of the Ren-ai wet market. They have 4 kinds of dumplings and all made onsite. Don't mind the coloring - it's natural coloring from the ingredients. Worth the try if you're in the area.

(San Bao - a combo of all their dumplings!)

CNY2017: Pamper Day

Dear Pipsqueaks,

Not sure why that is, but every time I come back, my sister and I just have SO many things to do that we could be out ALL day. One of the must-dos is getting a hair treatment in. A friend-recommended, Happy Hair Professional was one of the salons with the best service I've been to. They served drinks upon arrive, locked storage for your items, a separate quite room for hair spa, and a scalp scan to check how clean your scalp is. Not to mention the hair treatment packages they offer. They even have a package that's similar to a mixture of Thai Massage and guasha for the head. I actually fell asleep twice during the treatment, which never happens. So yes, great service. And they have blankets for you to keep warm if your cold in your seat! I would definitely make another appointment there during my next visit home - totally recommended.

(my super pampered hair!)

CNY2017: Doctors' Visits

Dear Pipsqueaks,

Definitely one of the longest 'first days' back ever in the history of visits. The day started around 5:30am when my mama came knocking on the door to wake me up. Yes, you read correctly - 5:30am. Why? Because le sister arrived back from Vancouver. Half awake, I rolled myself out of the comfy bed, brushed up and was down in 5mins. Didn't even care too much about what the heck I was wearing as we're going to the hospital for a follow up after the airport.

The only thing was that my parents actually picked out the wrong person at the waiting area thinking it was my sister. Can't believe these two! How can they not know which is their daughter?! Sigh. Anyhoos, I told le sister and she gave them a piece of her mind for thinking she was that larger girl in the front.

By then, it was about 8am and still loads of time before my doctors' appointments. We decided to hang out by 7-11 as the area the hospital was located in was just too confusing. Kind of like Sunway, this Chang Gung Memorial Hospital is a few buildings in their own territory of land. They have research and technology buildings as well as medical training facilities. Just a huge medical park basically. Not to mention, they simply did not make any plans for transport - we literally jammed all the way in and out of the medical park. I wonder if they ever thought about how ambulances are going to make it to the emergency through these jams?

CNY2017: Arrival

Dear Pipsqueaks,

The day started very early - for me anyway - at 5:30am. Not to mention I only got to bed around 1am. But yes, I had to wake up to wrap all the chocolates in the fridge so they'd stay cold enough until I reach Taipei. Didn't want them to melt out of shape, would we?! After finishing up with packing, I literally had 5 minutes to change into my clothes before heading down to meet Mr. Goh aka my taxi driver.

I like my taxi driver. He's a morning person so he's quite cheery when he sees me for these morning flights. We'd chat for a little while, then he'd let me doze off into my own little world - either listening to music or taking a short nap. It's never for long though because he takes his driving very seriously. We left my place around 7am, expecting to arrive around 8am with the morning traffic. You know when we arrived? 7:38am.

It only took me 5 minutes to check in, and by 7:45am, I was wandering what to do to kill 1hr15mins before having to board my flight at 9am. Which of course wasn't the real boarding time - try 9:30am. So yes, I made a loop around KLIA2, and to my surprise, most shops were already open for business by then. Quite unusual in comparison to the 10am-10pm hours in the city. Anyway, I was already carrying too much, so I wasn't in the mood to buy anything else.

Ready for CNY2017

Dear Pipsqueaks,

Can't say I'm ready for CNY but I'm definitely ready to bring the load of snacks to my parent's house! The collection has been taking up a floor in the fridge and a box in the living room - they need to be EATEN! And not by me because them dang sugar levels. Anyway, it's been...OMG! It's been more than 6 months since I've spent some time with my parents and le sister?! What in the world...though I did briefly see them on my way to Vancouver for a wedding in September. But that can't count. I've gotta do better than that.

Which is why I'm only going to be attending 6 tournaments this year:
- All England Open (Birmingham)
- Sudirman Cup (Gold Coast)
- Indonesia Open (Jakarta)
- World Championships (Glasgow)
- French Open (Paris)
- Dubai Finals (Dubai)

Catching Up With Life in [Taiwan] - Day 1

Dear Pipsqueaks,

I think I say this every time I make the trip back to Taiwan after I've rushed all the packing: I need to finish throwing things into my luggage earlier on so I can have a proper sleep (of 7.5 hours) before the impossible-to-sleep flight back. Why do I never remember to? Maybe because I only come back every few months. I need to fly back more often to see them three. Seriously.

And when I say catching up with life, I mean it. Family is a HUGE part of my life, and being away makes me feel like I'm always missing out. But luckily, my mom is quite familiar with Line, so she would reply and send me random links. My sis would send photos of my parents so I can stay updated on what they're up to. I'm glad they're taking a good care of themselves while I'm not around. Makes it just slightly easier for me.

Since my sister was out until the evening, my parents came to fetch me from the airport. The two of them seem to like going on these little "adventures" together, which includes taking a drive down south or riding out on their motorcycle or climbing some hill nearby. It's comforting to know they have and enjoy each other's company each and everyday. Their definitely made for each other!

So yes, we drove home and walked out for a super late lunch at 4pm. Then, we made a detour on our way home to the supermarket to pick up the ingredients for my udon. I already made the order a few month's back that my dinner on the day of arrival will be my favourite udon...and yet Mama Sung thought she could talk me out of having it. Apparently, them three now have very light dinners, so she hasn't 'cooked' cooked dinner in a while. Meh, she agreed and me want my udon!

We all hanged out in front of the TV, while I drank my first (and only cup for this trip - I'm super determined) of bubble tea before dinner was served. This is exactly what I miss - being able to do the simple stuff with them. Taking a stroll, buying groceries, watching TV and having dinner all seem very trivial, but that's family life. Simple pleasures of life that many people don't realise until they no longer have the chance to enjoy them. But, I do. I've always been conscious about these moments since young, so I make the most of them. Good stuff, young Jessy!

I realise my thoughts in this post are not exactly flowing well. Maybe I'm too tired so I better head to bed. Morning walk and coffee with the parents! Then, meeting up with my girls in Taipei! Catch you later~

(This had always been my favourite dish for lunch during school days!)

Words Unspoken

Dear Pipsqueaks,

Trying to catch up on writing down the millions of thoughts flowing in my mind here, and now I feel rather lost if my writing isn't posted/archived here...so transferring from Facebook, a poem dedicated to my dear sister:


I may not be the best with words
But what I feel is true
All my life, every moment counting
You were there, through and through

No matter what I may throw at you
Unfair, unreal, pure delusional
I'd get my way before I turn blue
Yes, I can be so dysfunctional

Now, I know I'm Ms. Difficult
But I'm so glad it was you
That took the challenge by default
With no instruction or any clue

No one said life would be fair
So you never bothered complaining
'Cause you know I do really care
Except it's never for sharing

It's time for you to hear me out
All the things I have to say
It may get a little gush, no doubt
Yet, they've been too long in delay

Right off the bat, I'd like to thank you 
For always being my cornerstone
My dreams were no longer far from true
'Cause you'd never let me fight alone

Thanks for keeping me grounded
Reminding me what matters
Thanks for ensuring I'm protected
So I could leap without fear of shutters

I am truly grateful and truly blessed
To have your company on this journey
No matter what life may wish to test
With you guiding, I'm sure to pass however many

If you still have not guessed by now
I shall be bluntly clear
This was written with a bow
For the world's most amazing, my sister

Ivy Sung

Thanks, [2014] => Let's go, [2015]

Dear Pipsqueaks,

To be honest, I can't believe it's already time to write a reflection post for the year. 2014 felt like a very blur 365 days with no major happenings, but when I start to dive into the months, then flashbacks come to me...

Jan - Flew back to TPE to visit the family for CNY; always good to to see them during these holidays even though we don't do anything special. It's just good to hangout. Also gave my sister her ipad mini Christmas present. I'm not one for expensive presents, but I like giving something useful. See, normally I would be the one entertaining my sister either going out shopping together or trying a new restaurant together. We did everything together, and now that I'm not around, I can only provide her with some form of entertainment...except she uses that to play games and watch movie previews *faint* Oh wells, as long as she's happy with it.

Goodbye [2013] & Hello [2014]

Dear Pipsqueaks,

Initially, I had wanted to comb through my resolutions for 2013 and see how I've done in completing them, except I couldn't find the list. Yuppie. So, to save myself from facing the same problem on the 1st of January in 2015, I'm going to write my resolution for 2014 down here. At least it's recorded somewhere. But before I brainstorm what I hope to achieve in the year 2014, I feel it'd be useful to see how I did in 2013. You know, just to make sure I'm moving in the right direction in the whole scheme of this adventure I call life.

Alright, so here are the top/staccato moments of 2013:

• The Break-Up - February - Officially ended with the then 'le bf' despite major signs of a crumbling relationship since late 2012. I guess, in a way, it was me coming to terms with what I truly felt and wanted. I thought I was ready for something more, but I wasn't. It was unfair for me to hold him back from what he wanted, and really, we didn't want the same things. So I had to let him go, and I still feel it was the best decision made for the both of us, even though I was alone in making it.

• All Stars Awards - May - Successfully delivering my biggest project of the year - All Stars awards night. From knowing absolutely nothing about the event, to joining the last finals meetings, to being designated as the coordinator (all in the span of less than a month), I must say I was lucky to have pulled it off at all. It was such an amazing experience to see it all come to life on the day from a bunch of papers and meetings. It meant a great deal more when my boss quietly spoke to me towards the end of the event, "Jess, great good. Lots of happy people here. Go enjoy yourself." I believed I smiled all the way into my dreams that night.

Love Is...

Dear pipsqueaks,

When approached with this question, I always find myself stumbling to find the right answer. Then, I remember my poster in my old Vancouver bedroom. I've never been a religious person, but that doesn't mean I don't reflect on the teachings of the different "teachers". So, this one seemed to answer the question quite well - for me anyway...

"What is love?"

1 Corinthians 13:4-7Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

What is love for you?

Side note: I need to find this poster...time to dig into all my boxes!

Wedding Bells & Hardcore Fans - Jakarta 2013

Dear pipsqueaks,

It's been so hectic that I couldn't find the time to write, and I feel disappointed that I haven't. No worries though. I'm super determined to recap my trip to Jakarta just last week for Vivian姊姊's wedding and Indonesia Open. Briefly thinking back, so much had happened within the 4-day trip. Going to do justice to this trip, I'll do a proper write up some time tomorrow. Can't wait! Why? Somehow, it only feels official when it's written. Black and white. Seriously, look what work has done to me! Anyway, update at the soonest :)

Jessy, outs!

Sneaking around in [Taiwan]

Dear pipsqueaks,

As I tried to keep the trip as low of a profile as I could before I left, not many people knew of my visit. It's a good thing- despite being totally hammered when they found out. In a way, it was my break from the world to spend some quality time with le family. We were actually supposed to spend the summer holidays together, but due to family issues, le parents couldn't take leave, so I went with le sister instead. That made a break of eight months since the last time I saw them...and that is a LONG time for a family that had lived together for 17 years, seeing each other every day. Then again, I thought they would have gotten used to not having me around these couple of years...

Thinking back, this was a good time to see them because if I didn't, it would be until Chinese New Year in February! That would have been ten months too long. Not to mention the constant complaint that I travel to all these other places and NOT even spending more than 10 days with them this year. So, in a jiffy, I flew over to deal with the complaints. 

8 days. Usually, it would feel like it isn't enough to do all the things I want. But, I wasn't really suppose to be doing anything anyway. The break was simply to chillax with parents, be it at home or on a day trip somewhere. Though I only had two home-cooked meal, it's nothing to complain about. I don't want to be a trouble for my mom by being home, so I eat when she cooks, and eat out when she doesn't. No biggie. More or less with no particular schedule or planning, it's probably easier just to tell the story with photos...

(testing out my new camera Nikon CoolPix L310 too...)

(Look at our fridge covered with postcards! Although not all of them are from me, I shall attempt to fill the bottom two sections with postcards from all over the world :)) 

Weekend in [Paris]- Part II

Dear pipsqueaks,

The day had finally arrived: we were going to voluntarily jump off a plane cruising at the altitude of 4000m for the sake of bragging rights. Well, that's what most people think, but it's really just for me to know that I didn't chicken out. Why else would I want to skydive? To feel what it's like to be a bird at free fall before it expands its wings and glides. Though, I do have to say, the moment the parachute opened is most likely nothing close to how it feels when birds take flight. But anyway, it may be easiest to let the photos tell the story...

(before anything can happen, we gotta sign our lives away! of course, you must bring along a doctor's note stating that you're in good health & can physically participate in this dangerous activity)

[Budapest] in a Splash- Part III

Dear pipsqueaks,

Note: Please excuse the wiki link for a few of these attractions as I couldn't find better websites for further info, but meh. It's enough to get your research started :)

This morning was less of a surprise as we expected the same schedule as yesterday's, probably with a little more time too as the meeting point was in Buda. Guess again! Despite the fact that we were already staying in Buda, it didn't mean the meeting point was any closer. Suppose we had to take two trams and walk a bit. Oh, how I wish it were that simple. Before we even reached the tram stop, things were already a mess: I realize I had left my Budapest Card on the table, and we were as of then running slightly behind. So, with what was left of my athletic training from years ago, I bolted back to the house, calmly unlocked all the gates and doors one by one, ran to the coffee table to grab the root of all this exercise first thing in the morning- le card, swiftly locked everything, and practically rolled down the hill to meet up with Ivy. Now thinking back, that was an operation well done! I don't even know how I managed all those doors, but I guess when the time calls for it, somehow, we are all very capable of accomplishing miraculous things.

(Random breakfast to finish all the stock we have left: mushroom with peppers & egg accompanied by chicken steak and toast- yummm :P)

[Budapest] in a Splash- Part II

Dear pipsqueaks,

The day began with me waking up super early to cook us some breakfast: chicken steak with eggs accompanied by toast and juice. Maybe even some pan-fried peppers were on the menu. (I can't remember what I made because I simply cook as I feel with what was available. A picture of tomorrow's breakfast will explain that~). Anyway, as we never seem to have enough time, after securing the place- several locks needed to be turned coming in and going out- we rushed down the hill and hopped on the tram to Pest.

We met up with the "Pest Walking Tour" at the Budapest Card Info-Point at Deák Ferenc tér, and you wouldn't believe how convenient it was to take the tram- literally the last stop! And to think we were worried about being late and missing the tour? Well, that can happen and we never know what else can happen too, so I do prefer to be AHEAD of schedule than chasing it. Following this tour guide with a Dracula like accent, we began our Pest-roaming. For some odd reason, he reminded me of this Hungarian classmate that had joined our class for a couple of years back in elementary school. Super blonde hair, lanky and shy, I can almost complete the scene in my head the day he walked into our classroom. He was all I knew of Hungary, and nothing more. So, definitely about time to do some proper learning of this mysterious country.

(more ways to keep tabs on the things you wanna do, grab a mini card!)

[Budapest] in a Splash- Part I

Dear pipsqueaks,

Apart from the near miss of our flight due to the train's delayed departure from Barcelona Sants, the morning went relative as expected. The heat didn't make transporting our luggage any easier, but we survived the 10 minute drag from our hotel. Despite it's hiddenness within the network of Barcelona streets, I adored our stay at the Live&Dream. Definitely Jessy recommended for our next trip here. You will be missed, Barcelona.

The rush was as quick to leave as it was quick to come. We were soon waiting in line to board our plane to, you guessed it, Budapest! I didn't really have much of a chance to become all excited because I was too busy looking for a postbox, except, none could be found. So, I activated the last resort: ask someone local to post them for us. That moment, the scene of the sales girl texting on her phone panned across my view as I skimmed for a potential person to do the job. I observed a little while before approaching, noting her smile and friendliness. There was a good chance she would grant the favour, so I made the move. What great profiling- all she asked was, "are they all ready to send?", and accepted the request in no time. Phew! Done and done. That's one more reason why I hate being in a rush, because imagine how much it would suck to have a stash of postcards all written and ready to go, but no where to post it?! *nightmare* But anyway, no need to freak out- it has been taken care of...this time. Now, the worry is that the girl forgets to mail them or lost them in the process of posting them. Oh, stay positive!

(could this get ANY MORE sketch than Air Asia?)