Slice of Life #26:The Queen's Head

We went to Yehliu Geopark on the northern coast of Taipei on a drizzly day. The park is known for a beachfront of rocks sculptured by the corrosive power of the sea and wind, and the most famous one looks like a queen's head. There were many visitors that day and the line to take a photo with the Queen's Head was long. People were smiling in front of it, and posing for the cameras. Up close, I could see that her neck was a bit thin, and her jagged face was full of marks of nature. She looked actually quite big now that I was standing right next to it. My mom took a few pictures of me and my sister and we left the crowd. On our way out, I look around at the rest of the park. Most of the rocks were similarly shaped like wild mushrooms and honeycombs, but just not as elegant as the Queen's Head.

Slice of Life #25: Taroko Gorge

My family took a two hour train to Hua Lien from Taipei to visit Taroko National Park, which is a humongous area with rolling mountains and winding trails. The highlight was the Gorge, carved out by the erosive power of the Liwu River. For safety, we had to wear helmets. At the bottom of the gorge, there was a clear, shallow stream filled with all kinds of stones. At the sides of the gorge, blue, purple, orange, and grey rocks were sparkling in the sunlight. The trail we went on was about 1.5 kilometers long. The only sound was from the water running through the rocks below. We took a lot of pictures along the way. It was an amazing sight to see and enjoy.

Slice of Life #24: The Original Din Tai Fung

The first dinner we had in Taiwan was at Din Tai Fung, even though it was a 30 minute walk from where we stayed. The queue was pretty long. We decided our orders while waiting in line at the entrance. When it was our turn, we were brought up to the second floor of the restaurant. The decor here was different from that of Singapore. Our order included spicy cucumber, oriental salad, pork dumpling, shumai, deep-fried pork, fresh sauteed shrimp, white rice, and layered cake. The salad and the cucumber tasted different from those of Singapore but they were still as delicious. The shumai and the pork dumplings were quite similar though. The fried pork was very juicy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. The shrimp dish, not available in Singapore, was small yet nicely prepared. And the rice cakes, unlike Singapore's, were filled with kaya sauce. Overall, I had a great experience with the menu in the original Din Tai Fung.

Slice of Life #23: Beitou Thermal Valley

We visited Beitou Thermal Valley during spring break in Taiwan. We were only there for a short period of time, but I still enjoyed it. At the entrance, a stream flows out of the valley with steam floating on the surface. My family walked along a neatly paved path that came to a look-out point. A dense layer of fog covered a pool of water below like a blanket and the trees surrounding the pool were barely visible. All of the fog was making me feel humid. Next to the thermal spring was a sign that read: "No passing beyond this point, very hot water." We went further in and reached the end of the valley, where there wan an even bigger look-out point! From here, I could see  a small lake of light turquoise water bubbling and white sand sticking to the bottom of the water. There was also smell of sulfur in the damp and smoky air. We took many pictures of this amazing sight. This place was very different from the rest of Taipei.

My Student Led Conference Digital Portfolio

Slice of Life #22: The Elephant Mountain

I was in Taipei for spring break. One thing my family did there was climbing Elephant Mountain (Xiang Shan in Mandarin), which was very close to Taipei 101. It was an overcast day, about 20 degrees Celsius. When we reached the foot of the hiking trail, I took off my jacket, and rolled up my jeans for air ventilation, knowing that I was going to get sweaty. Layers and layers of steep stairs stretched ahead of me. Sweat beads started to roll down my face and arms after a few minutes of climbing. Along the way, there were benches for resting. I took the opportunity to catch my breath there. We came to a viewing deck midway, with Taipei 101 in full view. I took a few tricky shots of me "holding" the skyscraper in my palm. After a short break, we resumed the climb. My sweat was now sticky like glue, and I was a stink-feeder for mosquitoes and flies. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we made it to the top, where their were six hug rocks scattered around. Against my mom's wish, I manged to find my way on one of them and took a few more photos with the 101 in the background. It was a bit scary at first,but my sister joined me a few seconds later. Believe it or not, there was a queue behind us! Now, I had to worry about making my way down the steep stairs.

Slice of Life #21: The Taipei 101 Elevator

It was a cloudy day in Taipei. My dad didn't want to go up because he thought the view would not be clear. But there was no queue so we decided to do it. The line for the elevator was short. When we got in, we saw a screen showing the live movement of the elevator. As soon as the doors shut, the elevator shot up like a bullet. I felt my ears were pressed closer to my cheek as we traveled higher. I had to pinch my nose to equalize the pressure. Finally, the lift slowed down, and we were 381 meters above the ground in 40 seconds!

Slice of Life #20: Desert Trip

My family was in Dubai for the winter break. One memorable activity we did there was dune buggies and the dinner buffet in the desert. We were picked up by a heady-duty SUV and started the adventure. We drove up and down many sand dunes. I would always get jolted a few centimeters off the car seat on the way down. Luckily, I had my seat belt on. I told the driver to ride over more dunes, but that was a mistake. When we reached the dinner buffet table later, my forehead was spinning and my stomach felt like coming out of my mouth. I couldn't eat anything and I had to rest on cushions for a while. That also meant I missed the sand boarding. However, I recovered in time to grab dinner and even ride a camel. The food was good, and the ride was fun. I left the desert feeling a little better about the whole experience.

Slice of Life #19: Nothing to Write About

I am sitting at my desk

Fruit roll-up in my mouth

I look and look and look around, searching for ideas

I glance at my calendar

I glue to the computer

With nothing to write about

The fan above my head is slowly spinning, ruffling papers around

My fingers rest on the keyboard 

With nothing to type about

I stare at the ceiling, rocking my chair back and forth

I have nothing to write about... Or do I?

Slice of Life #18: Four New Cards in Clash Royale

I woke up early on Sunday for bird-watching. I got dressed and checked my phone for any notifications. There were a few from Instagram. I went through my feed of pictures and stumbled upon a post from Clash Royale (a game). It had just issued four new cards: two hexagon shaped and two rectangular ones. Inside each of them was a cool looking cartoonish character. OMG! OMG! OMG! I screamed in delight. Before my excitement dissipated, I texted my classmate Marcus about this fantastic news. Marcus' reaction was the same OMG!

Slice of Life #17: The New Serve

Today, my tennis coach tweaked my serve to make it even better. He wanted to add a jump and a landing in the court. At first, I tried adding the moves. I kept on forgetting the jump, or the landing. But my coach encouraged me to not give up. So I took a break and I gave it another go. This time, I got the movements correctly and managed to execute the jump and landing in one continuous motion! I kept repeating it over and over again with confidence. I left the court feeling good.

Slice of Life #16: Sunrise of Singapore

The clouds are turning faintly red in the sky

Before the sun shines through

A cloth of mist is hovering over a small forest below

Sometimes the clouds can be yellow or orange

But all of them look beautiful basking in the early morning sun

The sunrise lasts for about 10 minutes only, but it is implanted in my head for 10 times longer.

Slice of Life #15: My Best Tennis Match

It was noon. The sun was beating down on me like I was in an oven. I was playing a tennis match
in a junior tournament. I warmed up with my opponent for 5 minutes. Then we started the match. The temperature got hotter and hotter as the match dragged on, and rallies went on longer and longer. I felt my heart was going to burst out of my chest and my face was covered in sweat. I was hustling to every ball that came in my way. But in the end, my opponent was triumphant. I know deep down that I played the best I could, and that my game has gone up another level despite the loss.

Slice of Life #14: U.N. Day

I had U.N. day at my school a few weeks ago. There was a row of dishes from different countries outside our classroom. Our teacher let us out in small groups. I took a paper plate from the table. There were labels that had names of food, the ingredients, and the origin. I first got miniature wantons. I sprinkled soy sauce on them and moved on. My next stop was Vietnamese chicken wing covered in a special sauce. I then got cookies and went back to my seat. Everything was so delicious that I returned for more. I decided to try the soba noodles. They were also amazing. I was stuffed up and could stand up and walk. But I somehow managed to play tag at recess with a bloated tummy. U.N. Day was fun and food-tastic!

Slice of Life #13: Why Pizza is Awesome

• The cheese topping melts in my mouth
• The crust is crispy when my teeth crunches it
• The meats toppings are mixed with the cheese
• As I bite the cherry tomatoes, juice spills out 
• The fresh basil adds a distinct flavor
• The tomato sauce binds every ingredient together
• The salty salami and sausage flavor dwells on my tongue
• Red onions gives an additional layer of texture
• The warmth of the dough quenches my hunger