beach days, plum rains

You know you've had a good day at the beach when five days later you're still digging sand out of your years. Two weekends ago was absolutely lovely: clear sunny skies, great waves (for a beginner), not too hot. Alas, we've had the "plum rains" since then. Drippy, drippy drops and sometimes shots of rain. I think the idea with the plum rains are that the plum trees are supposed to blossom afterwards, but I don't even know if there are any plum trees in Taipei. At least Wednesday is a holiday - Dragonboat Festival, along with what Grace Young called "savory rice tamales." Well, that's one way to call 粽子 (sticky rice wrapped often in bamboo leaves). This is one food (along with ravioli and dumplings) that always reminds me of commonalities across the world. Besides tamales, I've also had variations in Thailand and Cambodia, i.e. take some meat or sweet filling, surround it with a starch, and then wrap the whole thing in a leaf to make a filling and yummy on-the-go meal.

bug origami

Amazing portfolio of origami. The best ones are the bugs, since they're naturally angular.

Past hump day

I'm always thrilled as Friday approaches: relaxing weekends, sleeping in, having fun. A few weeks ago I went to The Top, a Balinese-themed restaurant on Yang Ming Mountain that overlooks the city. A pity the service was terrible and the food so-so. Proof that decor does not cover all. Our party actually talked about what a shame the owners had obviously spent so much money on decor, but then cheaped out by hiring un-trained young kids instead of professional waitstaff. If they had better service and food, and more parking, the place would actually be perfect for a party.

The week after that I saw Cloudgate's latest performance. I admit that I prefer Lin Hwai-Ming's other works (Bamboo Dream), but there were definitely some very cool sections in "White x 3".