Life & Art

I usually make use of Saturday mornings or afternoons to do a little bit of crafting before sharing these little creations with you here. But this Saturday was an official workday and I was stuck in the office from 9am till late afternoon before dashing off to catch some time with my kiddos, 2 of whom were under the weather as well.
No time for crafting this busy week but...  perhaps there is beauty and art in the little things around me if I slowed down, paid more attention...

Sharing with you what I found this 'artless' weekend...

comfort in my first cuppa before starting the workday

a heartwarming sweet treat from a colleague lifting up my dreary Saturday morning

a brief moment of calm looking at the little oasis on my work station

the cool of a thunderstorm bring some peace to a chaotic week

Spending time with a special someone in a familiar childhood spot

sitting, waiting, resting...

Have a good week ahead!

Sheon

Taiwan Discoveries

Hi there,

While preparing for our family vacation to Taiwan, I trawled the web for information and came across many useful tips on various blogs. So in 'paying it forward', I have put together some little useful observations/tips I have gathered.

1) If you are planning a visit to Taroko Gorge, it would be a good move to stay a night or two in Hualien. From Huailen, do hire a cab and driver to take you to the Gorge. Depart early in the morning to avoid the busloads of tourists.

We had a great stay at the Hotel Bayview in Hualien. It is a small hotel located by the beautiful Chi Hsing Tan beach and definitely lives up to the great reviews it has garnered. Do make time to cycle along the beach. The hotel provides bicycles free of charge.



Cycling Paths by the beach

2) When visiting Taroko Gorge, it would be handy to have torches and ponchos.
Our 2 teens thoroughly enjoyed the trek along the "BaiYang Waterfall Trail". It is a 2.5-3h round trip which takes you through 8 tunnels, some of which are so dark you can't see your hand in front of you! (hence the need for torches).

The last of the 8 tunnels along the Baiyang Trail is actually a cave -- Water Curtain Cave. Remove your footwear, don your poncho and enjoy the feel of your feet splashing through icy cold water, walking through 'water curtains'....while the sound of the gushing waterfall envelopes you....It was the highlight for all of us....and a great bonding experience for the family.
We wouldn't have been able to enjoy this had we followed a tour bus....so do remember to ask the taxi driver to bring you to this "Bai Yang Bu Dao" (chinese pronunciation) trail.

3) Another favourite part of the trip was the ride on the Pingxi Branch Railway Line. If you have a day to spare while in Taipei, this is a great day trip. There is a wealth of information about the quaint old towns along that you can visit along this line, but if you are venturing on your own, please note the following to save some hassle:

• You CANNOT use the 'Easycard' on the Pingxi Line. However, you can use the Easycard to take the train to Ruifang Station.
• Instead of buying the Pingxi Line ticket at Ruifang where there's a long queue...you can also buy the ticket at Counter 12 at the Taipei Main Station.
• Remember that you have to 'tap out' with the Easycard at the 'tap terminal' located on the Ruifang Station Platform itself, just before you hop onto the train heading on the Pingxi Line. (From then on, you will be using the Pingxi ticket.) There is no need to exit the station.
  If you do not 'tap out', you might find yourself being unable to 'tap out' at the station where you started your journey from (eg. Taipei Main Station).
  You would also have to 'tap in' on the Ruifang platform on your return journey.
• Do catch the early train which departs Ruifang before 9am to avoid the tourist crowds which descend later in the day.
• The trains on the Pingxi line do not run very frequently. If you don't want to end up just 'waiting for the train', do check the train timetable at each stop for the timing of your departing train before you eagerly run off to explore the town.

 

 

Most visitors come to these quaint little towns to 'release lanterns'. 'Everyone else' seems to do it at Shifen...but if you would like to avoid the crowds, do it at QingTong (the very last stop on the Pingxi Line)...it costs the same but without the 'maddening crowd'.

Put insect repellant! During our visit this June, there were mosquitoes!

Pingxi Old Street

This railway track running in between the rows of shophouses must have been photographed a million times!

Shifen waterfall -- a mini Niagara of sorts (It's a 30 min walk from the station!)



 Hope the above information is useful for you when you are planning your free and easy trip to Taiwan!

Serena

An Abundant Life

A colleague will be leaving us soon to pursue her studies overseas. Even though we've hardly spent time together or had conversations that extended into our personal lives, I've always felt an affinity towards her, especially since we both graduated from the same discipline. There was a sense of understanding, perhaps a connection that could have grown into friendship.

But the days at work are always passing in a whirlwind of activity, movement and often, urgency. Since we never had to work together on any projects, there was no chance to meet over coffee nor little conversational interludes when we might have just talked about ourselves. Perhaps my tendency to compartmentalise work and personal life just so that I could be efficient and objective has cost me precious opportunities to bond or build relationships with others...?

Well at least for C, I will write her some heartfelt well-wishes before she goes on her way: that wherever she goes, she may enjoy a life of abundance, one filled with friendship, laughter, warmth, peace and love.

And that's my hope for all of you as well.

Sheon

Crafting Adventures in Taiwan

Hi there,

We've just returned from a lovely family vacation to Taiwan. It was an added bonus to find some craft insipiration such as these:

These lovely crochet items were being sold in a shop which stocked a wide range of gifts -- the sign says they are all 'handmade'. Lots of inspiration here!



This lovely shop uses beautiful silk brocade fabric in all the items sold -- such a wide range and of course, ideas abound!

(For those of you interested: the quality is good and the shopkeeper is very friendly -- location: between exits Y16 and Y18 at the mammoth underground mall beneath Taipei Main Station)

Most of you would know that one of the reasons I love crochet as a craft is how 'mobile' it can be. As usual, I brought along a new project and you can see its really 'humble' beginnings.

Love how this stitch makes it look like it's knitted!

Guess where I was crocheting? It's a first for me....crocheting here...in a cable car!

At slightly more than S$2 per way, this 4 km long Mao Kong cable car ride is a nice change from the hustle and bustle of busy cosmopolitan Taipei. It is also great that they have crystal cabins which you do not need to pay extra to ride in. Do queue for one if you're not afraid of heights!

 

station at the top of Mao Kong -- a tea-growing region

the hillside is dotted with quaint teahouses which serve good food and fragrant tea

That's all for now. Look out for more travel photos in my next post.

Meanwhile, have a great weekend!

Serena