Merry Christmas

    Time flies. I still remember the wonderful Christmas time I spent in New York City last year. Now Christmas comes again. It is a pity that this Christmas I don't have any vacation so all I have to do is working.

My First ( and Maybe Last) IELTS TEST

    Yesterday I took the IELTS test for my study plan abroad in 2013. I was not well-prepared because my job kept me busy in recent months. At first, I told myself that I could regard the test as a trial. I still have many chances to do the test in the future (but have to pay each time). However, when the test was approaching, I began to feel nervous for the cost of the test was not cheap at all (5000 NTD). In fact, I don't want to do it all over again.

Money, Money, Macau

   I've been to Hong Kong 6 years ago. That's why I didn't put it into my travel list anymore. For me, Hong Kong was a place for nothing memorable but shopping and eating. However, the trip to Hong Kong and Macau last weekend has changed my viewpoint thoroughly. Now I consider that Hong Kong is a great choice for Taiwanese to spend vacation on often.

Hong Kong? Macau?

  I got a great news last week. The piece of writing of short story I submitted to the literature competition of The Youth Literature Awards (香港青年文學獎) has won a stunning performance prize. Even though the money award is not much, I still decided to fly to Hong Kong to attend the ceremony in mid-November because it's my first (and maybe the only) short story award since high school. I will arrive at Hong Kong on Saturday morning and come back to Taiwan on Sunday night, which means I have a whole free day in Hong Kong. There is a problem: I have no idea what to do in Hong Kong alone. I've been there 5 years ago so most of the well-known attrations in Hong Kong are not on my must-to-see list for I've seen them before. And shopping...... that is not even a choice for a nerd like me. How about the fascinating food of Hong Kong? Yes, that's quite inviting, but I am kind of on a diet at the moment to reduce my body fat so I am not allowed to enjoy the delicious food unlimitedly.

Foot Mapping and Gait Analysis in ASICS Taiwan

    Last weekend I went to Taipei for my best friend's baby shower. My friend, a kind and pretty girl, also my college classmate, will have her first baby next year. We are all happy for her. I sent her a pink baby bear doll I bought in Paris 2 years ago and a set of feeding bottles. We had delicious pizza and wonderful chat at her place. I am looking forward that we will see her beautiful daughter soon.

Hsinchu Zoo

   This Saturday, my aunt decided to bring my nephew to the Hsinchu Zoo(新竹市立動物園) on the spur of the moment. It was the beginning of the three-day holiday of Taiwan's National Day, also called Double Tenth Festival. As usual, if I don't plan to go abroad on vacation, I don't go elsewhere in Taiwan. I fact, my original schedule for the holidays was staying home resting, going to my Italian class on Saturday afternoon, and working on Sunday.  However, I couldn't resist the invite to the zoo with my family. (When was the last time I went to a zoo? Maybe ten years ago?) I asked for a leave to my Italian teacher.

Full Schedule in October

   In October, I am crazy busy both at work and at home. The following months are the peak season for cold. As a family medicine doctor, one of our missions is about flu vaccine, which includes the clinic for people who are qualified and want to get vaccinated, and support some primary schools to gurantee the vaccination of the students. Besides, from October to December, we have a new task about the health examination in different primary schools and junior high schools in Taichung. The good side on this is that we are able to eran more money which is what I need, but the bad side is, of course, a busy life. And don't forget I have to work in a local clinic on most Sundays.

No More Free Weekend

   Today I received a phone call from Sun-Study, where I study English with my tutor Tim. The staff informed me that they have found a teacher to teach me Italian. It is indeed a good news to me. However, it also means that I won't have a complete free weekend in the next few months, because I will work at a local clinic regularly on Sunday in the following months (even the following year) to earn extra money to support my future study plan in the Europe. My schedule is really full now. Monday I have yoga classes after work. Join the activity of the English conversation club of my hospital on Tuesday. English tutor class at Sun-Study on Friday. All my Saturdays and Sundays will be occupied with the Italian classes and work at the clinic since October. Hope I won't become exhausted and emaciated in the future.

   Italian, here I am ~.

We Want More Beer

   I had dinner with my coworkers at Le blé d'or (金色三麥) tonight after another working day in a local clinic. Although I don't like alcohol drinks, the beer it provided conquered my heart. Ah.......... I was drunk.

Inside the restaurant, it has different choices of German cuisine 

Mid-Autumn Festival

   The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming. I could smell BBQ in the air yesterday when I left the hospital. In fact, the festival is on September 12 this year, on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar when the moon is at its fullest and roundest. People in Taiwan tend to celebrate it since several days ago. Traditionally, family members will gather to share the Chinese moon cakes and pomelos while admiring the beautiful night scenery of the bright harvest moon. However, in recent decades, BBQ become more and more popular for the festival. Now it is regarded as a new Mid-Autumn Festival activity.

Afternoon Tea at La Famille

      My friend said that La Famille has the best French dessert in Taiwan. Despite knowing the shop for a long time, today was my first time to go there. Three of my cousins accompanied me. I was grateful to them, because it is tough for a nerd like me to be in a dessert store alone (but I paid the bill). The operator of the shop is a lady named Cristelle. She studied the pastry course at Le Cordon Bleu Paris, the world-famous culinary arts school. After graduating, she came back to Taiwan and began to have her own dessert shop in  her hometown  Douliou (斗六). The shop has become a great hit since then, following two more shops opened in a Taichung.

Inside the dessert shop La Famille

My Nephew's Birthday

    Today, we celebrated my nephew's second birthday ahead of time. His birthday is in next week in fact. The chocolate cake mixed with mango was super delicious. Of course, the birthday person, my nephew Andrew, is so lovely as usual. I love him forever.

Autumn is approaching

     It's September now, which means my favorite season, summer, is over again. Somehow I turned on my media player listening to the song " L'été S'approche" by Shunza (順子) tonight.

Lukang, Long Time No See

     In spite of the typhoon, my grandfather, my aunt, my cousins and I still visited Lukang (鹿港) on Sunday afternoon. My cousins' new semester will begin next week, so this was the end of their summer vacation.

My First Experience Working in a Clinic

    One of my hospital seniors operates a clinic in Guoshing Township (國姓鄉). It is located in central Taiwan, the mountain area close to the famous Sun Moon Lake(日月潭). A month ago, he asked me if I can work on his behalf for 1 day because he has to attend his school reunion. I promised it immediately since I need to save money for my future study in the Europe (or the US). And it's a perfect opportunity to know what my future job will be like. I stayed in my grandfather's place in Keli (喀哩) last night, closer to Guoshing Township. I am not a good driver, but I don't want to be late. Thus, I woke up early (6:20 in the morning) to set out. Fortunately, I didn't have any trouble on the highway, and I didn't get lost. It took me approximately 30 minutes to the clinic. Most important, I didn't spend too much time parking, which is always my weakness.

Welcome, 29

    Today is my birthday. I received multitudinous birthday blessings from my friends on Facebook.
    Thank you guys, I love you.
    Here are my birthday wishes:
    Hit the jackpot  to buy an apartment in Paris and live there, and be a matriculated student in the graduate school in translating and interpreting in the UK.
    All my family, friends, and I are healthy and happy.
    Write a picture book about Paris with my cousin Ema.
    Find someone I love.
    My blog become popular.   

Sad face: I don't want to grow old.

      Goodbye~, my 28.

Short Visit to Lontan

    This Saturday, I visited my aunt's place in Lontan(龍潭) in north Taiwan with my family. It has been a long time since my last visit. My aunt's husband is from Lontan. They lived in Taichung for more than 20 years operating a local buffet eatery. After their retirement, they moved back to Lontan until today. Actually Lontan is pretty close to my hometown Chungli (中壢), so it's not an unfamiliar place to me. However, I seldom have chance to visit the town more deeply. Everytime I went to Lontan, I stayed in my aunt's house most of the time. But this time was different. We arrived at Lontan in the afternoon. Thy sky was cloudy, and it was not too hot. My aunt suggested us to walk along the lakeside of the Lontan Lake (龍潭觀光大池) because my grandfather loved it. Thus we accompanied my grandfather to stroll around the lake. There were a lot of food stalls. My cousins and I bought delicious traditional ice cream. We could choose three kinds of flavors each. Mine was composed of mango, Japanese green tea, and dried plum. One of my cousins also ate roasted corn. During the period of adolescence, he is a big eater.


The Scary Stock Market

    A lot of people say that working cannot help you make big money, but investment can. I remember the first time I invested my money in something other than deposit was about six to seven years ago when I put some of my money into the fund. It was Franklin Balance Sheet Investment Fund. The result was....... I am not pretty sure but I didn't make a profit form it. After that, I began to buy different funds through systematic investment plan or one-time investment. Some of them really enabled me to earn extra money. However, as everyone knows,  the worldwide financial tsunami in 2008 was a tragedy for many individuals. I was no exception. But luckily, I didn't have much money to invest during that time. Thus, the loss of my property was relatively insignificant. I thought I've learned a lesson from the crisis, but I might haven't.

Happy Father's Day

     I had dinner with my family to celebrate Father's Day at "1010 Restaurant(1010湘)" which serves Hunan cuisine. It is located at Eslite Park Lane Taichung (勤美誠品綠園道). It was truely a wonderful night.

Memories of Taipei

    I spent seven years studying medicine in Taipei during my college life, so I left varied memories, good or bad, happy or sad, in the city. After graduating from university, Taipei has become a city to visit for me, not a city to live anymore. My impression on Taipei has been fading. Besides, Taipei keeps changing all the time. Each time I go back to Taipei, I feel like I am in a different country. I quite enjoy that. As a city for tourists, I admit that Taipei is an entrancing and energetic city. But living in Taipei is not easy and carefree in my point of view.

On a street of a traditional market, you can see the building of Taipei 101 in the distance.  

Two-day Tour of Dongpu Hot Springs

     This weekend I visited Dongpu Hot Springs (東埔溫泉) scenic spot with my coworkers. We departed on Saturday afternoon from our hospital and arrived at the Sha Li Shian Villa (沙里仙溫泉渡假村) at three o'clock. It was cloudy while we began our tour to go to the Ts'ai-hung Suspension Bridge (彩虹吊橋). Ts'ai-hung means rainbow in Chinese. The view from the bridge was pretty impressive. However, it rained as we went through the bridge. Since Dongpu is in the mountain area, it rained cats and dogs. My sneakers were totally wet after the walk. Fortunately, I brought my sport sandals with me in advance, so it didn't bother me a lot.

Fever Week

     I caught a cold on Monday. Precisely speaking, it was acute purulent tonsillitis. I woke up that day with a strange dream, in which I returned to the military service and had to follow the rigid  and outmoded rules in the army. Now I realize that's the first sign of my unlucky week of illness. After arriving at the hospital to work, I felt like the air-conditioner cooled the space too much. Furthermore, I began to suffer from headache in the afternoon. I checked my body temperature: 38.8℃, bingo! I examined my throat in front of a mirror (I am a master of that), and I could see my tonsils swelling with some white plaques on them. Obviously, I got acute purulent tonsillitis again. The same situation happened last month the day before I took the TOEFL test. However, it became worse this time. From Monday to Friday, fever with chills, sore throat, and abdominal discomfort bothered me in turn. As a doctor, it's hard to ask a day off. I was merely able to took some medication including antibiotics to treat myself. The whole week was terrible because of the illness except the weekend, when I finally recovered. I went to a movie with my cousins, "Harry Potter: the Deathly Hallows Part 2." I'm no longer a fan of Harry Potter now, but the audiovisual effects of the movie are bewitched. What's even better, we went to the movie for free. Thus, there is nothing to complain.

Fly Me to Italy

    I booked "Italian Phrasebook" by Lonely Planet for the trip to Italy next summer. I also read some books about Italy, and I think Venice is quite fascinating. Nonetheless, the price of the hotels there is exorbitant and all the rooms seem small. Some of the rooms have canal views, and I hope they are worth the money.

The New Member in My Family

     Two months ago, my cousin's son drew his first breath. The newborn is healthy and so lovely, a marvelous bless to my cousin and his wife. As a matter of fact, this is their second child. However, their first child passed away due to congenital heart disease. It was a difficult time to come through, but my cousin and his wife made it. The love between them is tremendous and seamless, which is the principal reason why they could overcome the strait of life.

My Name is Cecil

   Yesterday in the English speaking tutor class, my teacher Tim and I discussed the topic of names. It was for the IELTS part 1 speaking test, in which the examiner will ask the examinee some general questions including introducing the examinee himself. One question on the past exam paper was, "What's your English name?" My English name is Cecil. Of course, you cannot expect me to get high score if I merely answer like that  to the question. So I added something extra to that. My answer was: My name is Cecil. I got this name at the tutor school of English when I was 10 years old. The teacher put several cards each had a name on it in a bag. Then I drew one card randomly which gave me the name "Cecil."

2011 Annual Conference of Taiwan Association of Family Medicine

    Another 1 day stay in Taipei.
    The 2011 Annual Conference of Taiwan Association of Family Medicine is held this Sunday. I completed a small study about the musculoskeletal discomforts of the staff in a wind turbine company in Taichung under my leader Dr. Chen's assistance. My study was chosen for presentation by poster thus I went to Taipei carrying the roll of my poster for a short visit.

Spicy Hot Pot of Tripod King

      I can eat spicy food.
     When it comes to the question what my favorite food is, the answer is undoubtedly mapo tofu. In reality, I have fondness for every kind of spicy food. Therefore, I am also a huge fan of spicy hot pot. My family eats spicy hot pot once every few months. We always choose the TripotKing (鼎王), which is originated in my resident city, Taichung. Its spicy soup for hot pot is made from different Chinese herbs that give the soup a savory flavor and avoid unpleasantly salty taste. The generous amount of delicious tofu and duck blood curds is highly commended. We took away the hot pot and enjoyed it at home every time because it is more convenient to dine at home, and we could divide the hot pot into several meals to eat.

Weekend with The Borrower Arrietty

    I watched the movie "The Borrower Arrietty (Kari-gurashi no Arietti )" by the Studio Ghibli this afternoon.

Depressed

It's almost the end of June, and I have been depressed for several days.

First Swimming 2011

Today I got a day off. The weather was still roasting. Two of my cousins, one graduated from primary school, and one graduated from junior high school, have begun their summer vacation. I envy them being able to enjoy summer vacation, though in Taiwan most of students don't acquire true "vacation." Summer curriculum is routine in every junior and senior high school. For students, summer vacation means less learning hours, not holidays. However, my cousins' summer class doesn't start until July, so they do have free time in this period. Unfortunately, my cousin who graduated from junior high school didn't get good score in the first Basic Competence Test for Junior High School Students this year. Thus he has to study for the second test held one month later, which ends his vacation.

You are weird!!

Yesterday I went to my tutor class in English conversation. It was my second class at the cram school and the first time I met my teacher Tim. Tim is the same age as I am (29). He was born in Mississippi and grew up in LA. His ancestors were from China, however, his Chinese is not good. In reality, I think he has an interesting accent in English, but it is much better than my accent. Besides, he looks more Japanese to me.

Not Good in English

     I know I'm not good at English. I'm not comparing myself to most of the Taiwaners. Actually, I believe that my English ability is better than most of the locals here. However, when I've finally made up my mind to apply for the graduate school in translating and interpreting of 2013 since this March, that means I still require a lot of improvements in English.