sing when you're sad

What you can do with beans.

Green bean cakes (綠豆糕) is one of the many "souvenirs" in Taiwan that I would be happy to bring back home. Smooth and sweet, these little molded pieces of pastries are filled with red bean paste that are found in almost any bakery in Taipei. I guess you can say they taste similar to peanut butter since it makes me thirsty every time I take a bite out of it.

Foods like these just reminds me of the good ol' days when I went to Taiwan for about two weeks with my family. It's really strange, the moment we landed on the new Taipei airport platform, I could just feel that I was in Taiwan. I couldn't feel that when I landed on Hong Kong or Shanghai, only Taiwan. Staying in Taiwan made me feel like I was home, even though I was not natively born here. The atmosphere, the people, and just the nightlife in Taiwan made me feel like I belonged there. Well, obviously. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I do feel like the oddball in the family because I only seem to adulate Taiwanese pop and Taiwan's culture.

I think the greatest thing about Taiwan and China is knowing where the people come from. With hundreds of different dialects, saying one is Chinese doesn't define his or her ethnic background. In a way, each province is similar to a "country," each having their own unique culture and aspects of life. For example, my father's side came from 河南 (Henan) , which is near the Yellow River, and 南京 (Nanjing) while my mother's side came from both 上海 (Shanghai) and 四川 (Szechwan). So aside from just coming from Taiwan, another history unveils itself!

王力宏 - 星期六的深夜

星期六晚上 那兒都不想去 也無法入睡
看著電視機 持續在發呆 喝了七分醉
閉上了眼睛 試著不想你 但已來不及
忘了如何讓眼淚 停止流下
還好沒人看見(到) 沒人會說話

星期六深夜 我想起了你
沒什麼特別 只是回憶
你讓我自由 我很感激
星期六深夜 喔～
永遠不會有任何人 能代替你

這就是遺憾的滋味 陪著我形影不離
明天我會面帶微笑 但無法忘記你

讓我自由 我很感激
星期六 喔～Yeah

永遠不會有任何人 能代替你

Delighting Our Senses

This tingles the ocular and gustatory senses.

Chunky yet soft, these almond cookies have a hint of cinnamon topped with a generous amount of melted white chocolate. I was pretty satisfied with the light sweetness unlike most of the typical over-saturated-with-sugar American cookies. I would normally eschew away from the packaged or bakery cookies found in the center aisle of the supermarket. No matter how cheap it is or how embellished the cookies are with the colored frostings and sugar-coated icings, I still find that one bite is equivalent to a teaspoon of sugar.

No, and it's not because I am too "Asian".

Despite the fact that many Asians don't particularly enjoy consuming American cakes and cookies, some use that "excuse" to their advantage. Many despise the American cuisine after eating one dinner at one restaurant, thinking that one mediocre restaurant makes all others the same. Living in a city where over half of the residents are Asian, I find this obstinate behavior particularly irksome. No, annoying. There are probably other cultures that behave the same way, lacking the broad-mindedness that is needed in America and continue to dwell in this limited perspective that can only lead to conflicts between cultures.

Well, that's enough about my trivial garrulous nature. Now on to college topics, how exciting.

So. I've visited UCLA and USC (do I sense irony in this?) campuses along with many other classmates in this tour program that is given in my SAT class. After seeing the buildings, listening to the tour guides, and taking many many pictures of the beautiful campuses, I started to feel nervous.

"Nervous about what? College is all about the independence and freedom from home that is endowed to you"

That's the thing that I'm worried about. I feel that I'm so attached to home and my family that I don't feel I can stay a week without being at home, eating home cooked meals, and playing with my dog. Not only is the freedom scaring me, but also the fear of failing classes. Although it is my dream to be accepted into the medical field, getting there is just the beginning.

I dislike insecurity. Be strong!