Poor-Obsolete-Stupid-Bank (P-O-S-B)

Poor

I am actually contented if the bank stays as a poor-man's bank. I'm fine with it because I'm not exactly a rich man. However, it should be noted that there are also other commoners' banks in the local market. Moreover, I felt P-O-S-B has become poorer in terms of queue times and service standards.

Obsolete

It's becoming a white elephant with its ATMs. I thought ATMs are supposed to assist their employees in terms of automating the administrative processes. But I am often at the wrong end of broken-down ATMs - either not being able to withdraw/deposit cash or carry out any transactions. Today, I became a serious victim of it - the passbook update machine swallowed my book. No signs were given. Other passer-bys tried to insert their books into an OK-looking machine whilst I was hoping that it will spit my book out.

Stupid

I called the helpline number listed at the ATM. I seriously think the helpine is in need of a revamp. There are so many options for me to listen through, e.g. for XXX, press 1; ... ; for YYY, press 5. I had to spend 3 desperate minutes listening through the options, only to find that none is for a spoilt ATM. I waited another 5 more minutes on the helpline that seemed to need more help in their 'manning'. Finally, I was attended by an heavily Indian-accented guy who told me that the bank will mail back the book within 7 working days.

Bank

Is this a bank? I need the book for an important appointment with a government agency 3 days later. Though I doubt the government agency is any better than the bank, I am praying that there will not any screw-ups. As of now, I question the need of a bank. Afterall, the interest rates are so low that I question if the bank is doing what it was founded to do in the 1st place.

127 Hours

127 Hours is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah. Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he can be rescued. Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers, family, and the two hikers he met before his accident.

3 life-provoking thoughts learnt from the movie:
1. Why do people have to wait till their dying moments to 'show love' to their precious ones? I believe in showing love and appreciation everyday as we should live each day as if it's our last. In that way, we do not have to leave the world with regrets.

2. One will muster all  his energy in order to live. Ralston came up with endless methods to free himself. I guess when one is facing death, one will have the innate ability to fight till one's last breath. I ask myself - must we wait till the realisation of death, then are we willing to give it our best? Can we lower the conditions so that we can give our best in a more frequent manner?

3. Ralston hopes for someone to rescue him. Those most likely candidates are 2 women he met earlier that day who know that he is in the canyon, or his boss Brion, who may list him as missing if he doesn't show up for his scheduled work time on Tuesday (3 days away). Always tell your loved ones where you will be heading. This will reduce unneccessary worry whilst providing a point of contact, should there be emergencies. 

A side note - 108 hours away from Singapore and I'm finally back yesterday.

Swan Lake - the Black & the White

Nina was chosen as the new lead to replace current star Beth MacIntyre as the Swan Queen. The lead must maintain an adequate portrayal of both the White and Black Swans. However, the ballet director, Thomas Leroy, claimed that her rigid technique makes her an ideal casting for the White Swan, but opined that she lacks the passion of the darkly sensual Black Swan. She was such a perfectionist that Thomas had to remind her to simply lose herself in the Black Swan role.

Eventually, she did. As she indulged herself into the role, she saw the dark side of herself and gradually experienced hallucinations. During the final performance, she received an outstanding ovation for her role in the Black Swan. But it was all too late. She has lost too much of herself in her strive towards perfectionism such that there was no turning back.

How many of us strive for perfectionism? I, for one, has given up the fight to be perfect. To make an effort is already a step in the correct direction; to make many flawless efforts is too many steps in an idealistic world. Yet we strive to live ideally - in a world of 2 opposites, the white and the black. With the blacks amidst the whites, do we simply accept it or strive to be ideal in both? Yet to strive to be ideal in both, one has to learn to relax in order to be perfect - what a paradox the world has become.

Gongguan Night Market 公館夜市 - Part 3

Tai-Yi Milk King

This shop was established in 1956 and is now operated by the second generation of owners. It makes its snacks from the finest ingredients everyday. Its red-brean milk ice and eight-treasures milk ice are its most popular items, especially in the summer. The shabby old storefront has been renovated and more seats were added on the second floor, making the eatery brighter and more expansive. It still retains, however, the old flavours of an iced fruit shop of earlier years.

Food-for-thought: It does not matter where you are located. You can be located 400 meters from the heart of the night market, but people will still flock to you in the midst of a constant rain and cold weather. The size of the dessert explains for the size of the price (and both of us were struggling to finish the 8-treasures). I realise that shop owners here in Taipei seldom open up franchises, even this 1956 store. Is it because their sums do not work out positively or are they just risk adverse? Or are Taiwanese just easily contented by being mini proprietors?

Longtan Soybean Pudding

The basic flavour of soybean pudding is rich and pure, and filled with the taste of tradition. Every step in the process, from milling the beans to producing the finished soybean pudding, is done by the proprietor himself. No preservatives or powdered lime (a common additive) are used.

Food-for-thought: The shop gives diners an unfinished look with untiled floors and unpainted walls. Simple stools and undecorated walls are the only furnishings it can provide. Whilst the soybean pudding makes us warm on a cold night, I wouldn't give it a 5-star rating. Maybe the success of the shop lies in its location. It is situated right beside the 'Brother Noodles' shop. Diners would make a natural stop for a dessert next door after finishing their noodles. For every bowl of noodle the brothers sell, this store would sell an equivalent number of soybean pudding. Maybe location does matter, afterall. If you do not have the ability to make it BIG, maybe the success then lies in choosing a right location. How true is it, as we look at your choice of career, school, mentor, house, etc?

Gongguan Night Market 公館夜市 - Part 2

Chen Sanding Brown Sugar pearls

This relatively new shop has enjoyed explosive popularity in recent years due to its drinks. Lines of waiting customers frequently stretch onto the street, forcing the proprietor to set up a waiting area for them. The "frog" in the name refers to the large rice pearls, which resemble frog eggs. They are simmered with brown sugar and when they are added to fresh milk, the drink exude rich aromas of caramel and milk.

Food-for-thought: The signature Frog Hits Milk drink is probably the only drink it needs to prepare. Strange names, coupled with an unique taste, gets you to fame. No wonder the tour guide did mention that the weirder the name of the food, the more famous it becomes. How true this is. Afterall, I could have just called it sweet caramel milk tea with pearls and remain a pauper for life.

Lan's Steamed Sandwiches

Lan's Steamed Sandwiches are located at the Gongguan Night Market (Alley 8, Lane 316, Section 3, Roosevelt Road). It's a favorite of students and foreign travelers. It has not changed its flavours or its prices for more than decade. It even insists on a fixed source for its materials so as to assure quality. For the pork filling of your sandiwch, you can choose fat (100% fats), lean (0% fats), mixed (50% fats), mixed with extra fat (75% fats) or mixed with extra lean (25% fats).

Food-for-thought: I chose mixed (50% fats) whilst Sy chose lean (0% fats). The mixed tastes better than the lean because the fats give an additional salty taste and smooth texture to the otherwise-boring meat. Whilst the unhealthy food becomes the tastier choice, I asked - will we succumb to the unhealthy choice to satisfy our cravings? Is life too short to worry about what to eat or should we worry about what to eat so that life wouldn't be too short?

Gongguan Night Market 公館夜市 - Part 1

Tourists rave about Shilin Night Market, but my most productive night was spent at Gongguan Night Market. Though the night was mared by the rainy weather, we managed to make the most of it by sticking to a strict routine of hunting Taipei's much-raved about food hideouts.

Wheel Cakes

The wheel cakes served at this shop on Dingzhou Road are a legendary snack in Gongguan. There is always a long line of customers waiting impatiently for them with looks of intense expectation on their faces. The shop has always been known for the generosity of its servings and the cheapness of its price. The wheel cakes are shaped like flying saucers and are so thick and hefty that you feel as if the red bean and cream filling is about to explode. For the fillings, small red beans are boiled into a pasty consistency to form the delicious rich cream that keeps us warm on a cold night.

Food-for-thought: What was weird about this shop is that their shop owners shun publicity at all costs. In a publicity-hungry world where the media does the talking, this is one shop that does the complete opposite. The shop's facade is old; there is no shop name (and we can only call it the Wheel Cakes); the owner prohibits photography; Sy was scolded from afar when she tried a random shot. Yet this shop not only survives, but instead thrives. Maybe it focuses on what it does well - which is its food, and its food will do the talking. But in this paparazzi-filled world, how many eateries boast of cheap-and-good food?

Brother Noodles

Proprietor Chang constantly stirs his pot of noodles while announcing a warm welcome to his customers. As they are stirred, the noodles emit wave after wave of aromas that stop passers-by in their tracks. Chang goes to the wholesale market every morning at 3:30 to buy the freshest Lugang oysters, which he cleans, shells, and covers with a thin layer of starch. He makes his noodles by hand too, so that they have an al dente consistency and won't stick together even after long boiling. The proprietor has an open mode of operation by selling his noodles at the front of the shop.

Food-for-thought: When oyster noodles are sold in Singapore, they were proclaimed to have originated from Taiwan. We came to Taiwan with this craving to be fulfilled. We searched high and low at every corner of Taiwan, only to finally find it on our last night. Did publicity distort the truth? Whilst this is a famous store, we did not manage to find other stores selling oyster noodles. Taiwanese people aren't really eating this dish. Can publicity make you famous overseas whilst you remain in the doldrums locally?

Social Obligations and traditions

Chinese New Year has come. There were 2 issues that came into my mind when I see Chinese New Year in a different light this year.

Traditions

We are born Chinese, yet how much of Chinese New Year traditions do we know? In an increasingly globalised society, are we losing the traditions that have been passed down from generations to generations? Traditions face the possible threat of extinction because they do not hold value to us anymore. As part of new year traditions, we springclean our house, fill up our rice bucket, top up our goodies, give angbaos to unmarried singles, visit long-lost relatives and toss yusheng into the air.

Social Obligations

There are many relatives that we have not met for a long time. This is the perfect time to catch up. Sometimes, there are issues that we talk about; sometimes, there is silence that we try to break. There are several we are not close to, but these are social obligations that we have to fulfill - as sons and daughters of our parents. Since 'meeting up' during CNY is pre-determined, the best way to view it is to enjoy such a process.