SYS Memorial with Victoria

{In which we have way too much fun with an umbrella}

So after brunch at Omelet to Go, Victoria bought an umbrella and we strolled through the grounds of Sun Yat-Sen Memorial to talk and take pictures.

Spring Snowman

{In which we discover how useful orange microcentrifuge tubes can be}

In case you didn't know, I work in a lab. We keep stuff like proteins and DNA and buffers cool by placing them on ice, which we get by putting ice cubes through a shaved ice machine. It's not a huge leap to imagine the hill of icy goodness with all sorts of delicious toppings — mochi, ripe mango chunks, condensed milk — but since the ice is made of tap water, I'm never tempted to dig in even though it's been getting hotter and hotter (besides, all the toppings would be imaginary anyway).

During spring cleaning we got a lot more ice, thanks to the -20C refrigerator; basically moisture freezes out of the air inside the refrigerator and attaches itself to whatever surface is available. That ends up being a lot of ice.

The ice got dumped into the sink by the bucketfuls so it could slowly melt away over the weekend. But it was Friday afternoon before a long weekend, and all that ice proved to be too tempting. So one of my brilliant coworkers (I forget who) decided there was only one thing to do. 

Windshield Wipers

Saw this in a parking lot near the office and asked my coworker why all the windshield wipers were up. "So they won't melt onto the windshield," he told me. 

Yup, Taiwan summers are sweltering. I'm starting to love rain; I used to hate how inconvenient it made everything, but now I'd be grateful for a respite from the heat.

Hope that, unlike me, you're enjoying summer weather!

with love,

linda

Omelet to Go

{In which you get to see my Chinese handwriting, which looks worse than that of Taiwanese kindergartners)

Way back in April, my high school friend Victoria and I went to Omelet to Go for brunch (except we didn't get it to go, haha). It was a really cute place near my uncle's apartment and the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall.

Happy Father's Day!

My daddy as a boy:

All these years later, he still retains that boyish charm:

Thanks for being a wonderful dad — I know you will always be young at heart. :)

Love you and miss you!

with love,

linda

Volleyball at NTHU

{In which there are photos of people in mid-air}

I love hanging out with NTHU FHL since being with them reminds me so much of the good times I had with Berkeley ICA. They're fun and quirky and kind and refreshing. I always felt relaxed and happy and cared for with my friends from ICA, and it's so comforting to find a group of people in Taiwan that can recreate that feeling for me.

So when I was a little stressed out over the wedding photos, way back in March, I decided a change of scenery was in order and made my way to 新竹 (Hsinchu) to see them. I was excited when I found out people wanted to play volleyball — I'm not that good at it, but I have fond memories of taking volleyball class with Brian, David, and Helen, and getting tips from Danny, and playing for fun at Willard Park.

May Food Post

{In which there is Taiwanese food — well, more than usual, anyway}

I think this is the latest I've ever been with a food post. Oops. Also, the photos aren't as good this time either. I guess I've just been an all-around slacker this month. But there are a lot more Taiwanese foods in this month's posts, so I hope you enjoy it!

A Taiwanese delicacy, 豬耳朵 (pig's ear). A yummy side dish.

Still Alive!

{In which I share what I've been up to lately}

I'm back! Did you miss me? :D It's sort of funny how I get more comments about my blog when I neglect to update it as often. I didn't realize people actually notice when I don't post! But it's nice to know that you care and want to see more, and I'll do my best to get back into the swing of things. I've been (kind of ) busy and (very) distracted and (incredibly) lazy lately, and it's so hard to fight inertia. So I'm making it easier for myself by starting with a quick update.