random thoughts

at the bus-stop
i see a young woman holding two kids' hands
a little boy and a littler girl
and i - older and freer i -
suddenly remember J1 and J2 as toddlers
and the many mistakes i have made
and it is bittersweet.

the lord's prayer

old familiar words that i mouth week by week which calm me down, pavlov-like. 

ours, really? ours, and not mine, nor thine, this Father, provider, protector, companion, friend? grant that we may share in hallowing thee - nay, grant that we may not share in dishonoring thee - and thy name, which we bear and by which we are known, for better and for worse. Thy kingdom and thy will, on earth and in heaven - how puny our desires and preoccupations when we remember that! and what measure of confidence and faith God would have us wrap in our daily bread - that we should trust Him to perceive and to provide. what measure of debt our God forgives, and what measure of debt we begrudge! - whose wayward feet would wander unawares, and swiftly, and gladly, into perdition, were our Savior not there to turn us aside. this is our God, to whom belongs the kingdom and the power and the glory. 

not quite pavlov-like. magnificently and triumphantly-like, and comforting-like, rather.

taiwan-hk food

disclaimer:
i'm super picky and mutinously stick to a constricted palate

best meal in taiwan:

breakfast in taipei, where i get my fix of deep fried crullers with soy milk

least objectionable provincial food:

turkey rice at chia yi

most common ingredient in taiwan:

five spice powder. gah

best meal in the trip:

dim dim sum lunch, hands down

second best meal:

won ton noodles from ho hung kee

third best meal:

shrimp dumpling noodles from road side stall

taiwan, hk, sgp impressions

the most spine-chilling sound a pedestrian can encounter in a chinese-predominant country is the hacking sound of a fellow pedestrian vigorously clearing his throat. most often this sound is the prelude to the splat of that which is cleared hitting the ground. woe betide thee if thou wast within splashing range of the splat.

on a related note, that betel quid rears its head again in hk and taiwan, although perhaps not as fervently as in myanmar.

the chinese diaspora, in increasing order of cultural acceptability: chinese-hk-taiwanese. i would put the average singaporean somewhere between the hk and the taiwanese, who are generally the most genteel of the lot. i can say this only because of my ethnicity, by virtue of which i share all their obnoxious genes.

taiwan impressions

1. they like their dogs
2. they also like five spice powder
3. and, they have a pretty kawaii sense of style

li'l derp

that moment when you stop looking at corgi photos on the internet and realize that that relentless piece of furry destruction who lives in your home that eats everything in his way has grown up to become a recognizable corgi himself.

study in contrasts

hong kong, january 2016