Bling for the Feet

One of the straps on my sandals broke while I was out the other day ... fortunately it happened in a dept store with numerous shoe choices :) After narrowing down my options, I finally decided on these ...

Aren't they adorable?

Blingy Seahorses!

I put them on in the store and happily walked out in them ... after paying of course!

New Bling

Still mad about jewelry ... I got this Martine Wester Swarovski Elements Crystallized ring ... it's the unusual greyish-greenish centre stone that I fell in love with, and most importantly, it looked great on.

Jennifer Aniston's New Home

Was watching an old episode of The David Letterman Show in which Jennifer Aniston was a guest, and they talked about her new home being featured in Architectural Digest. Now, I'd read that Brad Pitt thought her idea of home decor as being "homely" (as opposed to cutting edge architectural), so I was expecting a rather cottage like home, and was very pleasantly surprised to see how beautiful a home Ms Aniston had created! I want her home ... and her figure too! Take a look ...

Pictures from socialitelife.celebuzz.com

Jewelry Crazed!

I blame Rachel Zoe for my current craze over jewelry. Ever since watching The Rachel Zoe Project, I've been eyeing some Chanel jewelry on ebay. And I've been pretty mad about multi-chain necklaces, and gorgeous crystals. Then I came across a lil stall in the East District, Taipei, where I was blissfully surrounded by lovely sparkling crystals, cut glass, cabachons, sautoir jewelry and pseudo-Gripoix jewels! I felt like I was in an European vintage jewelry heaven!

Naturally, I couldn't resist, and bought a few things which I hope to use to make some statement jewelry ...

And the other day, while at Shida Night Market, I came across this darling goldfish ring! Its fins and tail can actually move ... when I shake my hand, it's like it's swimming! Adorable!

And in the same stall, I found this beautiful ring, which reminds me of Van Cleef & Arpels ... gorgeous gorgeous flower ring ...

I had wanted a longish necklace that had a statement pendant hitting midriff, and saw this geode pendant in Hong Kong. So, I just attached some gold chains and a toggle clasp. Then, one day, while I was wearing a top that needed a lil oomph around the neck, I wrapped the necklace round twice with the toggle chain in front, and voila!

Trekking Up Elephant Mountain (Hill?)

After all the food I'd posted about, I decided I had to take some extreme measures to lose weight, and to spice up my exercise routine (if you can call it that), on the spur of the moment, I decided to trek up the Elephant Mountain (erm ... a hill really..)

When I first started my trek, this was one of the flights of stairs I faced. I couldn't even see the end of the stairs! Argh! What had I got myself into?!

At some points, the steps were so steep, I couldn't even see them before the drop-off ... I could only see the railings! I was beginning to wish for an escalator!

At some points, the steps were so tall, they were nearly up to my knees!

(erm ... I never knew my knees looked that chubby ...)

As I was nearing the summit, I came across this pavilion which someone cleverly transformed into a relaxing little library! Ingenious!

Approaching the peak of the Elephant Mountain ...

Rewarding views of Taipei 101 and Taipei city ...

People take their dogs along trekking too!

Crunchy Caramel Corn & Blueberry Tarts ...

While I was reading cupcakesandcashmere, I came across Emily's post about Crunchy Caramel Corn. It looked so simple and yummy, I couldn't resist and tried it out ... mostly cos it's one of Hubby's fav snacks, and also cos we had a whole bottle of cashews on hand ...

Look at all that golden glistening caramel popcorn!

Delicious!!!

I also had a little punnet of blueberries sitting in my fridge, which I was afraid was going to spoil, so I decided to make some blueberry tarts ...

Blue Cheese Stuffed Burgers

The blue cheese burger that we had in Laguna Beach was so firmly embedded in my mind that when I was deciding what to do with some extra blue cheese in my fridge, I decided to try replicating the burger at home. At first, I thought I'd just make a burger with a blue cheese dressing, then I saw this recipe. I decided to make some open-faced burgers. And stuffed some blue cheese between two thin beef patties. Grilled the burgers, then topped it with some jalapenos for a bit of a spicy kick ...

Then I smothered the whole thing with some blue cheese dressing (blue cheese + cream + sour cream) .... and it was DELICIOUS! Hubby declared this the best burger he'd ever had ... but of course, he's biased :)

Dogs in Taipei

"What a big Monster you are, sir!"

A close-up of that cute little doggy ...

I think Taiwanese shop owners all train their dogs not to go beyond a certain point, cos I noticed even if the dogs follow me around in the shop, the moment I step out of the shop onto the road/pavement, they just stop there. Clever!

And did you notice this lil doggy's body is shaved? In summer, the Taiwanese believe in shaving their pets ... some of them look really hilarious! With a shaggy head and a puffy tail, and the rest of them completely shaved ... cats n dogs alike look like lions!

Look who I found on my way to the market! Sooooo cute!!!!

Minimal Cafe, A Cat Cafe, in Taipei

ok ... so I have a soft spot for cats, especially kittens - they are just such adorable little furballs, with their soft fur, pink noses and pink paws ... awwwww ... I wish I could get one, but with all the travelling I do, it's hard to keep a pet. Fortunately, some fellow cat lovers have come up with the concept of a cat cafe, where I can get my fill of the feline kind ...

Here's Minimal Cafe at Shida, Taipei ...

The welcome kitty? ... so sweet ....

A cat drinking from a ... a .... fish tank?!?!

(Don't worry. No fish were harmed in filming this shot.)

These two big ginger cats apparently have their favorite spots near the coffee machine cos of its heat/warmth.

(Warning: Approach these kitties with caution otherwise you might end up having a close encounter with their sharp teeth and claws!)

My favorite of them all: Jiao Jiao (named after "Jiao Tang" or Brown Sugar ... apt isn't it?). She's such a sweetheart! She allowed me to grab her and let me stroke and pet her without a fight. What a sweet temperament she has! And doesn't she look like a sphinx?

(Erm ... for those of you who are questioning the wisdom of having waffles/human food on the counter where several cats are, the waffles pictured here were not for the customers ... phew! ... I suspect they were the "unsuccessful" waffles, not meant for human consumption.)

And this kitty was curled up in this position throughout my entire visit ... I like the way his/her paw is curled up over his/her nose ... kinda like a "Just leave me alone" position, don't you think?

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof?

Honeymoon Dessert, Hong Kong

Apparently, Honeymoon Dessert opened a branch in Singapore, but in Taipei, they still do not have any presence. So, whenever I'm in Hong Kong, visiting this Hong Kong dessert place is a must-do.

This is how popular the place is - the picture below was taken at midnight:

And this is my absolute favorite dessert: Durian with glutinous rice in coconut milk ...

Hubby wanted something refreshing, so he ordered watermelon with tofu in watermelon juice ...

Tsui Wah Cha Chan Ting, Hong Kong

Tsui Wah is one of my favorite chains of "Cha Chan Tings" in Hong Kong. They are a very local eatery, and provide a very Hong Kong experience, IMO. For instance, they serve the very famous Hong Kong "Nai Cha" or Milk Tea ...

And this is my favorite soft drink - "Hum Leng Chat" or 7-Up/Sprite with salted lemon ...

I ordered a wanton with braised beef mein in sacha sauce ...

Hubby ordered his fav - HK style curry chicken with rice ...

Yung Kee Restaurant, Hong Kong

Yung Kee restaurant is so famous for having the best goose in Hong Kong that they have become quite the institution. As it was my friend, L's first time in Hong Kong, we decided to treat her to some roast goose at Yung Kee.

To start off our meal, we ordered some "peh dan" or century egg, served with vinegared/pickled ginger slices ( ... erm ... I can feel my saliva glands secreting just typing this up ... )

Followed by some good ol' Cantonese soup - their soup of the day was corn soup ...

And to give us a healthy serving of veggies to balance out the roast goose (see below), we ordered some green veggies with thin slices of chinese ham ...

And finally! Their famous roast goose and char siew ...

Then to round off the meal, egg tarts for dessert!