You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘family’ tag.
My friends are getting married in two weeks. They are hosting their wedding in Taipei, Taiwan. I am so excited to be visiting Taipei for the first time in my life. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve heard so many awesome stories from my mom (who grew up there by the way), & I’ve always hear from my relative about how mind-blowing incredible the food is. I’ve been eating Taiwanese influenced food my entire life, so I’m really pumped up to be trying the real deal while I’m over there. Also, I’m so extremely excited that both of my friends are finally getting married…& that I get to go on an epic trip with all of my closest friends!
[ I remember my friends’ proposal like it was yesterday. Our whole circle of friends went to the San Diego Comic Con in 2011. In the spur of the moment, our male friend (the fiancé) had asked us to help him stage the proposal on the beach. We only had a couple of hours to pull the whole thing together, including: 1. helping him write her (the fiancée) a letter/message in a bottle, 2. get an empty wine bottle to stage a scene on the beach where they would randomly find said bottle, & 3. (the most tricky part of all) film the whole proposal with a friend’s Pro photography camera without her knowing they were being filmed. We somehow managed to make it work with our extremely limited resources, & voila! Our friends are finally tying the knot. ]
Not only will this trip be for our friends’ wedding, but it will probably be the last major trip my husband & I will take for a long time because after this, we are going to anchor ourselves down & get the ball rolling on continuing the family tree (if you know what I mean). [Bow-chicka-wow-wow!] After our friends’ wedding, my husband & I are going to stay in Taipei for a few extra days, then jet off to Tokyo, Japan to visit an old friend of mine as well as my cousins & my last surviving uncle (from my dad’s side of the family). Before we head off to Tokyo, we’ve got quite a bit of sightseeing to do in Taipei, since it’ll be our first time traveling there. I am definitely planning to take a lot of pictures, which I hope I will have time to upload on to this blog. *Fingers Crossed* Also, my mom has given us a laundry list of things to do on her behalf (e.g. take a picture of her alma mater college, visit the national museum, have lunch with one of her friends…whose nickname is Little Horse in Mandarin. I kid you not.)
After our little excursion in Taipei, we are off to Tokyo. This time we are going there with two of our closest friends (my husband’s best friend & his wife…who is a close friend of mine as well). We are all very excited to visit new neighborhoods & try new things this time. However, as per my usual routine, I must visit at least one or two of my cousins & I must visit my grandparents in their final resting place to pay my respects. Also, I will be meeting up with a longtime friend of mine (whom I’ve known since Kindergarten), & I couldn’t be more thrilled to see her after 5 years. We’ve both been very busy with work & family, so it’s been difficult for us to keep up regular contact with each other. This time in Tokyo, we are going to take it easy, go slow & really soak up all of the fun. I’m usually more of a fast-paced kind of girl when I’m on vacation. I want to cram in as much things to see & do in one day as I can, but this time my husband has convinced me to just slow down & really enjoy my time…for this may be my last overseas for a long time. Like always, I’m going to be taking photos galore in Tokyo, & like I said before, hopefully I’ll be able to upload them when I can.
I am so excited for this trip, I can hardly wait.
Woo-Hoo! I’m back to writing regular entries on this blog again.
I just recently arrived in Tokyo, Japan (yesterday) with my husband. My traveling companion & I will be in Tokyo for one week before we jet off to China for another week. We had originally planned to use this vacation time as our fun time…but alas…we have some serious family matters to take care of while we are traveling, so this is going to be one heck of a ride folks!
The first thing I want to say is: HOW COME I’VE NEVER FLOWN ON ANA EVERY SINGLE TIME BEFORE NOW??! Every other time we have traveled to Tokyo, we’ve always flown via United Airlines. It’s not the worst airline we’ve ever flown on, but it’s at least the most basic to get us to our destination. Then, when we flew on ANA this time around, we were so blown away by how awesome the airline was! The service was great, our seats were comfortable & (with the help of our own noise-cancelling headphones) we had a relatively no-screaming-kids flight.
1. The seats were very comfortable with plenty of leg room, even for a 6 foot tall person. When the seats recline, only the bottom seat-cushion and back cushion slide down & forward…so the back rest doesn’t push backwards & obstruct the space of the person sitting behind you. Also, the headrest adjusts up & down for comfort.
2. There is a foot-rest for each seat! This really is a huge comfort plus…
3. Each seat has its own interactive TV screen, which you can watch various videos, movies &/or listen to music. There is also a USB connector, so you can plug in your MP3 player & listen to your own music. Also, the movie selection was really good. There were about 12 or so movies to choose from, so you don’t have to watch the same Disney channel kids movie on repeat while on a long flight. The only downside is you can’t adjust/swivel the TV screen, so if you want to prop your head to the side, you will get an annoying glare from the screen’s privacy coating.
4. Our in-flight meals didn’t taste like cardboard or mush. They actually tasted pretty decent. My husband was pleasantly surprised to find that ANA serves Suntory the Premium Malts beer on the flight…not just the usual Asahi or Sapporo. Also, did I mention there was a handy cup holder for your drinks?
5. One of the best moments of our flight…right after they served the first (& the main) meal, the flight attendants came around & served Häagen Dazs ice cream to all of us. As some of you may or may not know, Häagen Dazs is my all-time favorite brand of ice cream. Like. Ever.
That pretty much sums up our awesome in-flight experience. I’d love to post a blog entry each day about my goings-on in Tokyo while I’m here, but I think I’ll just stick to posting just the highlights… maybe a few highlights of each day. Until then, I’ll leave you with 2 random pictures for now.
Can you guess what brand of soda this is?? If you guessed SPRITE, then you’re correct!
The legendary vending machine(s) of Japan. This one dispenses both hot & cold drinks. Yes, I said HOT & COLD. The drinks marked in blue are cold. The drinks marked in red are hot…& yes, they do come out HOT, not lukewarm. Perfect for the chilly morning weather!
This is a list I’ve compiled (among the countless other lists/surveys) of all the things I want to do or achieve before I die…a spin-off of the Bucket List idea.
- go to a Japanese Pop concert in Japan.
- go to a pro baseball game in Japan.
- watch a Kabuki stageplay in the famous Kabuki-Za theater in Tokyo.
- go to a pro Sumo wrestling match.
- go to the Forumla 1 Monacco Grand Prix race in Monte Carlo.
- go on an RV road trip.
- take a vacation on a house boat.
- take a gondola ride in Venice, Italy.
- go to the Tokyo International Film Festival (and maybe hang out with celebrities?).
- go to the Tokyo Auto Salon (a.k.a. Tokyo International Auto Show).
- own my very own traditional-style vacation home in Japan (possibly in Hakone).
- ride on a horse-drawn carriage in the snow.
- have a display room in my own place, filled with toys from the floor to ceiling.
- find a beagle dog that looks exactly like Snoopy (white fur, black ears).
- to see my fiancee wear a full Cosplay-style costume, complete with accessories.
- to reduce my habit of being a pack rat.
- to become a Dominatrix for a day (just for the hell of it).
- to have another big family reunion with my dad’s side of the family in Yokohama.
- to own my own business (even if it’s a side project or a weekend job).
- to re-learn how to play the piano again. (I want to get back to the level I was back in high school.)
- to become fluent in a foreign language (including reading/writing).
- to write a travel guidebook about Tokyo and/or Japan.
- to go camping with my fiancee, complete with a tent & a small camping grill. (But I would still pick a place with a community bathroom. I don’t think I can rough it in the actual forrest.)
Rabbits & Foxes 
You must be logged in to post a comment.