Mar 31st 2011 - First time (Day 45)

    Last day of March, surprising how quick time has gone so far this year.

   Tomorrow will be our long awaited trip to the UK, so went and exchanged some spending money. First time holding any form of European currency, and obviously will be my first ever visit to Europe, very exciting indeed.

   Looking forward to seeing bits and pieces of the place, and take home some royal wedding souvenirs.

Mar 30th 2011 - Hostile takeover (Day 44)

   Had the need to call in sick today with a fever, and spent the whole day recovering on the couch. Kratos decided to hop over the cushy duvet and join the party.

   After a few hours of resting it was time to get some food in the system, our dear boy thought it was a good idea not to move even the tiniest inch. So I forced myself off the couch, and upon returning, found him to have stayed in the same position as I had left.

   Cuteness overload!

Mar 29th 2011 - Red eye (Day 43)

   The return trip from Bali took off at almost 3am in the morning. Flying across the Philippines just as the sun peeked over the horizon, knocked all the need to sleep out of my head. Not to mention the stunning skyline happening in front of me.

Mar 28th 2011 - Relax (Day 42)

   Day 2 of the Bali work/vacation began with a buffet breakfast, followed by a soak in the pool, and a bath under the tropic sun.

   To make the day even more vacation-esque, a nice 2 hour full body massage is a must. This is one of our favorite massage place in Bali, with a nice decor, hot showers and well trained masseuse. A few hours spent here fully relaxed our mind body and soul.

Mar 27th 2011 - Shrimp overload (Day 41)

   3/27 is our wedding anniversary, and since the wife and I  just happen to be in Bali for the occasion, we went and had a very celebratory dinner at the local Bubba Gump shrimp restaurant.

   So plates after plates of shrimp came on the table, shrimp salad, shrimp with crab cake and finally shrimp bucket, topped with a key lime pie. All in all, great night out.

Mar 26th 2011 - Wakeup call (Day 40)

   Had a slumber party on the couch with Kratos overnight, and woke up in the morning with him licking and pawing me. Then he commenced rolling around on the couch looking particularly comfortable, adorable-meter off the roof!

Mar 25th 2011 - Serenity (Day 39)

   Standby duty started at 12 lunchtime today, somehow work has been calling me since yesterday to support a simulator session. So after countless missed calls and a full voice mailbox, I scrambled into work to do the simulator session.

   After getting home 5 hours later,  I sat in front of my little fish tank, watching my fish casually swimming and occasionally pay me the tiniest amount of attention hoping for food, I felt envious of them. Living a content and serene life, all they have to worry about it being fed every morning, and finding the next best sleeping spot without a care for very much else.

Mar 24th 2011 - Super Size! (Day 38)

   Bought a bottle of wine from the US on trip. To the right is a regular bottle of wine from New Zealand, the left, US of A.

   Being a bottle of moscato, it is double the size of of bottle of regular wine, and just as delicious. Which made me wonder, how come most things in the US are much larger than other countries? From burgers to fries, to soda and salad.




   Apologies for the lack of update, will attempt to catch up to the most recent days!

Mar 23rd 2011 - Work (Day 37)

   It seems like I've been going to Bangkok pretty frequently in the past weeks, as the airport has becoming quite familiar.

   Of course the flight was so much more fun with a good crew, which make the almost 8 hour round trip that much more pleasing and never a dull moment.

   I guess it's the same for all work, if you enjoy what you do, and you work with people you like, it doesn't matter how tiring or annoying work can be, it can still be enjoyable.

Mar 22nd 2011 - Attention (Day 36)

   This month so far has been quite unusual. On a normal working month, I would be home sleeping in my own bed for at least half of the month, this month so far, I can count the number of days I slept in my bed with my fingers.

   That of course leads to deprivation of time spent with the wife and our dog. So as soon as I walked through the door coming back from KaoHsiung, I was greeted ecstatically by them both, all they need, is more love and attention.

Mar 21st 2011 - Food blog? (Day 35)

   Wonton in chili oil, simple, delicious and so full of flavor.
  
   Looked through my collections of photos and realized how much time I spend on eating, and capturing all the delicacy from my travels. Then a thought flashed across my mind, "why not do a food blog?" the thought quickly vanished though, because knowing myself, it'll just be the beginning of a binge fest. So for now, I'm content how this is going.

Mar 20th 2011 - 24 Hours (Day 34)

   Had a pretty long flight today, and since I brought my trusty PS3 down with me, I figured I should try and attempt the 24hour endurance race in Gran Turismo 5.

   Whoever thought leaving your PS3 on for over 24 hours was a good idea should really reconsider. 24 hours doesn't sound like much, but I never realize how much stuff can be done in a period of 24 hours.

   First was breakfast, then lunch, then work, 9 hours later getting back at the hotel room, I still had 3 hours left to race. So late night snack, followed by some TV, then the 24 hour mark eventually came. Thankfully, the PS3 held out and no power outages was experienced, otherwise.....

Mar 19th 2011 - 85 (Day 33)

   KaoHsiung 85 building is the tallest building in the city, and is also the second tallest building in Taiwan.

   Almost every month I get the privilege to fly down here and stay in the hotel situated within the building. The hotel runs from 39th to the 70th floor as far as I remember, and 70 being the highest I have ever stayed in.

   On a clear day, which is rather unusual in KaoHsiung, the view from the top is spectacular. Looking from the bottom up, it's hard to imagine the amount of people residing within such a giant structure.

Mar 18th 2011 - Reflect (Day 32)

   One month has passed since I started my own project 365. I must admit I am trying to catch up on the last few days. Not doing very much during the day plus being sick really doesn't help my motivation level any.

   I must go on however, there are always things in life that are worth documenting about, as mundane as days can be.

   Walking towards the clinic I saw this dog sunbathing in the warm KaoHsiung sun. Nice way to spend the afternoon, I was hoping I could pull up a chair and join him.

Mar 17th 2011 - Chicken... GOOD!! (Day 31)

   Ever since returning from the trip, I haven't had any desires to go anywhere except for home. Just needed some sort of R&R.

   With a relaxing day, one of my favorite snack has to be included. The fried chicken stands here in Taiwan are very popular, other than chicken, squid, fish balls, and even vegetables are available.

   A must eat for anyone visiting Taiwan!

 

Mar 16th 2011 - Late nights (Day 30)

   One of the best thing about Taiwan is that no matter how early or late it is, delicious food is always around!

   The wife and I went and did some late night shopping, afterwards, our evil appetite decided that it was time for some late night snacks. This little store near by sold practically everything, from noodles to soup and even dumplings!

Mar 15th 2011 - Jet Lagged (Day 29)

   Can't believe how jet lagged I am from the trip. Even after two days of adjusting. Surely I should know this by now, but the physiological effects of being jet lagged is far harder to anticipate than I previously imagined.

   There is nothing better than my own bed to help battle this strange and uncontrollable feeling.

Mar 14th 2011 - Happy Birthday (Day 28)

   Walked through the door at 6 in the morning after a long haul flight, found decorations waiting for me in our living room. The wife had spent the night before preparing for my early birthday return.

   Thank you darling for making my birthday wonderful, thank goes out to everyone who remembered my birthday, and lastly, I thank my parents for giving me  the right direction to life for as long as I've been alive.

Mar 13th 2011 - Lost in time (Day 27)

   The whole concept of the timezone is very intriguing. I caught a flight from Los Angeles (GMT-8) at 23:25 on the 12th, the flight took 13 hours and 30 minutes. I arrived in Taipei (GMT+8) at 5:15 on the 14th.

   By the time I figured out that I lost a day, it was already the 14th! It made sense later on of course, but the total darkness here, really represented how lost I felt.

Mar 12th 2011 - Stranded (Day 26)

   At lunch time, I was all but ready to hop on a plane and return home. Funny thing about travelling on stand-by though, is that plans can never keep up with changes. Last I checked before I got to the airport, chances of getting on the lunch time flight was pretty good, the thought of flight filling up due to overbooking never crossed my mind.

   15 minutes before the flight was due to depart, I was handed a nice big "FLIGHT FULL, please try later" sign. The next flight back would not depart until just before mid night, a full eleven hours. So there I was, stranded in a distant land, stuck in a foreign airport, with no certain ways to get home.

   Good luck.

Mar 11th 2011 - Believe (Day 25)

Having the luxury to relax and and enjoy the sights today, and ended up driving to a place I've heard mentioned many times in movies and television.

I've seen all several documentaries about orcas, but to see them in real life was something else. The way they move, interact, and think, is far more complex than most people realize. Yet many people still believe that we somehow are better than all other animals on our wonderful planet, to me, that is so far from the truth

Mar 10th 2011 - I, Hop (Day 24)

   Finally found time to visit one of my favorite eatery tonight. I don't remember when I last visited, but the smell of delicious hot pancake still bring euphoria to my senses.

   The trip is coming to an end, to think of all the places I've hopped to in such a short period of time, I can't imagine where else I could have visited if I had more time. Not too worried though, going to to plan the next trip after I get home for some R&R.

Mar 9th 2011 - Remember (Day 23)

It has been another long day today. But at the end of it, looked up into the setting sun, and saw some pretty stunning cloud formations overhead. The mixture of colors was so stunning it made me forgot all about how tired I had been all day.

Only a few days left on the trip, will hopefully be seeing more of this, and better, capture it forever.

Mar 8th 2011 - Tourist (Day 22)

   Technically the second day of our trip today. Had a chance to walked down some famous strips, see some amazing architecture, and human engineering. To witness things you always see in TVs and movies in real life was almost surreal.

   What's more amazing was that many people walk down the same path often, and treated it as being part of normal life. Then again, this shouldn't be too surprising. is this not the whole point of travelling to a foreign land? seeing things you are not used to seeing, taking photographs of everything that is out of your ordinary, while others look on wondering what  planet you are from.

   ... time to sleep, busy day tomorrow. See you in the morning, world.

Mar 7th 2011 - Productive (Day 21)

    Been a long day today, got a lot done, and certainly got around a lot. I'm not completely conked but feeling good, and supposedly the lacking of sleep will catch up to me soon enough, and hopefully not before I finish posting this.

   Being productive is good, it makes a person more confident, and we come off it with better understanding of situations.

   Pictured above is I believe a 737 variant, some what like the one I fly, and it certainly captures the essence of productivity, being one of the world's best selling jet-airliners!

Mar 6th 2011 - Leaving on a jet plane (Day 20)

   All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go. Off to a week long adventure in a far away land. One hopefully will bring new opportunities, show me new horizons.

   Life is full of opportunities, we just got to grab onto it when we can. Otherwise we might spend the next few years wondering what could have been.

   Here's a wish to you all, may all your wishes and goals come true, and we don't let anything slip us by.

Mar 5th 2011 - Sick (Day 19)

   NOM NOM NOM! Drugs! not everyone's favorite cup of tea, but at times of need, it's still unavoidable. Woke up with aches in the body and a seriously blocked nose. A few days ago it was only dry coughs, but I just couldn't take it any longer.
   So I trotted down to a clinic near the Splendor hotel in KaoHsiung, ended up with a bunch of pills in my pockets. Here's hoping I'll recover soon.
   There have been several cases of people dying from working too hard here in Taiwan, strange yet it's apparently common practice around here. Just hope all of you reading remember to take care of yourselves, try not to get sick, and always protect yourselves from potential harm, that includes not working too hard!

Mar 4th 2011 - Accessories (Day 18)

   On a hot and sunny day at Bangkok, Thailand, a pair of sunglasses is an essential part of the survival kit. It not only look good, but it certainly protect your eyes from them nasty UV rays.

   I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one with an addiction in collecting things, sunglasses being one of them. It is important to make ourselves happy, whether by satisfying our desires, or doing something that makes us feel good. At least from my point of view, we can't make others happy unless we're happy with ourselves.

Mar 3rd 2011 - Traffic jam (Day 17)

 
 Hong Kong airport is a major hub in Asia, and a one hour flight here included at least a half an hour wait on the ground. Such is the life at a busy airport, and something the passengers don't usually understand.

I've heard stories of passengers not happy with the ground delays, and decided to throw a tantrum and eventually wrote a complaint letter to the head office, in the end, it just made themselves look stupid.

Maybe, if we give the others a little more respect in their professionalism, and not worry so much about ourselves, smile a little bit more, we might all be happier.

Mar 2nd 2011 - Marinated (Day 16)

   Taiwan is world famous for its night markets, and after a day of work, there's nothing better than taking a stroll into the tiny streets of KaoHsiung.

   This particular one is a marinated food stand, customers pick up whatever they want to indulge in and put it in the tiny little basket, and they cook it for you in a succulent marinated sauce, topped with a small amount of chili and garlic sauce, the result, divine.

   That however would not be my dinner, had to settle for something lighter since I still has a bad cough, which I also unfortunately may have passed onto the wife. So here's a photo to remind us what to look forward to when we get better.

Mar 1st 2011 - Vacant (Day 15)

Walking past a normally populated basketball court, made me think about the schedule this month. 

   I'll be away from home for work for at least 13 days, 

and at least 6 to 7 days for a trip I've been planning for a while. 

   So the little "home" box in my life won't be filled with time spent with the wife and dog, 

much like this vacant basketball court.