College Rivalry

One of the things that I miss about college is the interschool rivalry. For many years, Ateneo has always been up against University of the Philippines (UP), De La Salle University (DLSU) and University of Santo Tomas (UST). The rivalry heats up even more during UAAP season when our basketball teams play against each other. I found this online today. Ohh, how I miss college.

Modern Toilet Restaurant

After our leisurely stroll in Danshui, we took the train back to Taipei and went straight to Ximending, known as the "Harajuku of Taipei". We have been here a couple of days ago, but this time, our purpose was to have an early dinner at the famous Modern Toilet Restaurant. From the exterior alone, the quirkiness of the restaurant is already so evident.

We totally loved the interiors. They used bathtubs as tables and toilet bowls as chairs.

The main course is served in mini toilet bowls while their dessert is served in plates with manure cover. Haha! Five of us shared three orders of set menus. The set menu also included ice cream.

This is where we washed our hands before eating. What do you think?

Taipei: Day 5

Guillain's very friendly and funny Taiwanese friend, Robert, offered to show us around on our last day in Taipei. We went to Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall, a multi-purpose social, educational and cultural center open to the public. 

Next, we went to the seaside Taiwanese District of Danshui. It has a very relaxing ambiance. There are lots of cute and trendy shops near the sea which reminded me of Santa Monica Beach in L.A. For lunch, we had A-Gei (crystal noodles stuffed in fried bean curd) and fish ball soup for lunch. Thank you Robert for treating us!

Danshui's main pedestrian area offers tourists a wide selection of restaurants, arcades, and stores specializing in traditional handicrafts. There are so many local delicacies in Danshui, but most of them looked odd. 

Taipei: Day 4

The five of us excitedly packed our swimsuits and toiletries this day because we have made plans to visit a hot spring resort in Beitou. Although it's far from the city center, I love the fact that MRTs in Taipei still reach as far as this area. When we got off at Beitou Station, it took us a while to figure out how to get to Xin Beitou (New Beitou), where most hot spring resorts are located.

There are so many choices in Xin Beitou. We went to this hot spring resort recommended by the Tourism Office. It was clean and affordable. We were each given towels, lockers and slippers. We spent over an hour in the outdoor hot spring despite the light rain. It was so relaxing!

Taipei: Day 3

We started our third day in Taipei with a hefty breakfast at McDonald's because we expected to walk a lot the entire day. We each ordered a combo meal consisting of burger, large fries and large drinks. OMG calories!

On our way to the train station, we passed by this mall. Such a nice wall!

Our first stop was the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. This was erected in memory of the former President of the Republic of China. We were able to witness the changing of guards ceremony while we were inside the memorial hall. The National Theater and National Concert Hall are also in the same compound.

After lunch, we headed to the famous Ximending Pedestrian, which is the heart of Taipei's pop culture. It reminded me so much of Harajuku in Japan. 

That night, we went shopping at Shilin Night Market, the largest night market in Taiwan. There were lots of traditional Taiwanese food sold in the market. The whole place was so festive!

Taipei: Day 2

We had breakfast at a random sidewalk near the Taipei Main Train Station. I didn't like the food so much and I wasn't sure if it was clean, so I just bought bread from a nearby convenience store instead. I was tempted to buy Taiwan's signature beverages (Milk Teas, Green Teas). When we got to the train station, I noticed that Taipei uses tokens instead of cards or tickets. So unique!

Our first stop was Longshan Temple in the Wanhua District. It is one of the oldest and most resplendent Buddhist temples in Taiwan. Worshipers offered food and candles to the Buddhist gods.

After lunch, we went to Taipei 101 and passed by the New York New York Mall along the way. We paid for the lift that took us all the way up the Taipei 101 tower. Unfortunately, we didn't see anything special because it was so foggy.

We had dinner at Raohe Night Market. It rained that night so we didn't spend so much time at the night market. 

Taipei: Post-Grad Trip

Last April 5 to 9, my college friends and I went on a post-graduation trip to Taipei, Taiwan. We met at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 around 8:00pm. Camz, Nikko, Esh, Gui, Trish and I were so excited to start our four-day vacation! Just when we thought everything was already set, Nikko found out that he lost his money somewhere in the departure area of the airport. He had to go to the Lost & Found office together with Gui and Trish while Esh, Camz and I tried to convince the lady at the boarding gate to wait for them to come. Nikko backed out at the last moment.

We finally arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 12:55am. We were still smiling despite the epic airport mishap earlier. We waited for our driver, Chen Xienshang, to come pick us up at the airport and drive us to the Taipei Main Station Hostel.

We got to the hostel around 2:00am, but we didn't sleep right away because we decided to make our itinerary for the next day. Only Nikko made plans for the entire trip so we felt like lost puppies without him.

Be Resorts Mactan

Last April 3 to 4, my family and I had a quick R&R in Cebu. I met up with my cousins, aunts, uncles and grandmother after not seeing them for a year. I have been going to Cebu ever since I was a kid and it will always be my favorite destination in the Philippines. We dropped by the former Microtel Hotel, which is now renamed as Be Resorts Mactan.

Krister's Grad Party

Krister is one of the funniest guys I met in college. During our junior and senior year, we were groupmates in a couple of projects so we became closer as friends. In our block, we called him "Baby Boy" because he is the only child in his family and he is super close to his parents. Last March 31, he had his post-grad party at Tektite Towers in Ortigas. It was really fun to once again meet up with my blockmates. I also debuted my new short hair!