Night Market

Late last month, hubby took me on a trip north for a weekend getaway. This trip was my long-awaited holiday because hubby was so busy we had to skip doing anything for Valentine's Day and the Lunar New Year. We wanted to visit Tan-Sui, the northern tip of Taiwan. On our way there, we stopped by the famous Shih-Lin night market - an ideal place for grabbing a bite to eat after driving almost 3 hours. Shih-Lin night market is the best known night market on the island of Taiwan, and it's THE place to sample real authentic Taiwanese snacks. The place houses many Taiwanese food/snacks vendors selling traditional staples as well as new inventions. Tourists from the US, Japan, and mailand China crowd the night market to get a taste of the real "Bubble Tea", "Stinky Tofu", and much more. I've had most of the snacks when I was young, but after being absent for so many years living in Chicago, I got to experience a few items for the first time like a tourist which is a lot of fun!



The vendors and the bustling crowd at Shih-Lin night market:







Super Large Fried Chicken Fillet, could be as big as 9 inches long!!



Deep Fried Bread:



Jumbo Grilled Sausage:



Tea stands like this one greet you at every corner of Shih-Lin market, if not at all streets of Taipei. A tea stand offers everything from Bubble Tea to a glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice.




A snap shot of the mass transit system in Taipei. The transit is the best way to get to Shih-Lin market, or any place in downtown Taipei.

Dumpling House

Dear all,


It's been a crazy few weeks for me, and it took a while to get my life back in order. Gosh I have so much I'd like to share, but first let's have a feast for our eyes. Hubby and I celebrated the Chinese New Year early last month at the city's most renowned dumpling house. Only a couple of streets away from our apartment, this place serves nothing fancy but the most basic Taiwanese dishes. Their best is the Steamed Dumplings served in a bamboo steamer (pictured here with chopped chilies, soy sauce, and fresh ginger slices).




Holiday atmosphere plus a table full of hot, delicious, family style Chinese meal:



Ham & Egg Fried Rice:



Sea Cucumber Salad:



Stir Fried Cabbage:



Hot & Sour Soup Noodle:

On a Final Note

As some of you may have noticed, we haven’t been blogging much lately.

We started blogging back in 2004, when we began college. We wanted a simple girly website where we can share our thoughts on fashion with other fashion lovers. We finally settled on blogspot, because we were both technically challenged and it was easy. It was really exciting at first. We religiously stalked our blog and our heart would skip a beat whenever we get a comment. It gave us a warm and fuzzy feeling each time.

We just graduated last summer and since then, we’ve been struggling to carry our blog into the ‘real world’ with us. When you’re a student, you’re surrounded by inspirations and you have all the time in the world to take it in and read up on the latest styles and celebrity trends. In the real world, you get so caught up with life that you barely have time to stop and admire your surroundings and be inspired and excited by it. Now don’t get us wrong, we still love to drool over gorgeous dresses and new bags and debate over the merits of the latest trends- just not as often anymore. Blogging started to become a chore instead of something we loved doing. That was when we knew that it was time to move on, even though it took us a few months of thinking and debating with ourselves and each other to realize it, and another few months overcoming self denial to act on it. It’s not easy to give up something we’ve been doing for the last four years, knowing that once we stop, there is no going back.

A little over 4 years ago, we had no idea what blogs were, and we certainly didn’t know fashion blogs will become such a big phenomenon. We didn’t really know where we were heading when we started I am Fashion, but it became something we loved. We considered taking I am Fashion further, developing it into something bigger as so many other fashion blogs have done. But alas, as hard as we racked our brains, we couldn’t come up with a vision of where it can go. And so, we've decided that it was time to make a graceful exit and let I am Fashion go.

We’d like to thank all the readers who have stuck with us throughout the last four years. It was your comments, emails and continued presence that have kept us going for so long. We’d also like to thank our guest blogger E, who has helped us immensely in the last few months through this difficult transition period. It’s been an unexpectedly rewarding experience, which will always have a special place in our hearts.

Find us at our NEW BLOGs:

Tea with BG -http://teawithbg.com/

BG’s new personal blog, where she will continue to explore fashion, with a sprinkle of finance, travel, dining and other random musings on life.

Coffee with HG -http://www.lifestyleasia.com/coffeewithhg

HG’s new fashion blog, where she will blog about fashion, beauty and all girly things. And yes, she will continue to self-debate endlessly on whether to buy something as affordable as a pair of Zara shoes, or something as wallet-breaking as a Balenciaga bag.

XOXO

BG and HG

Feeling Tickled Pink

I'm feeling like wearing a lot of soft pink colours! After looking at this site.

Some fancy things I would like to wear right now.

Oh, I just want to wear chiffon and go around in bare feet (even if I did just purchase huge crazy boots). Yes, I want spring. I'm all ready for it.

Chin up, walk tall

They're here!

They are mighty tall, and I walked around them for a while thinking that I should probably return them because they're so tall.

Except they're so awesome so I'm not going to return them.




Who doesn't like some Jak & Jil for their weekend?

Image Source: Me, Jak & Jil

Go Crazy

Ohhhh I did something totally insane and spent money on a pair of boots that look like this:

Yes. They will be here tomorrow. Wonderful Guess "Maeve" boots. Kind of gothic but I can't wait to wear it with my chiffon dress with tights and leg warmers, a black blazer, and some crazy coloured scarf.

So now for some outfits that I would gladly wear. Because we all have Lacroix, Moschino and Schouler lying around in our closets.

SO EXCITED. SO IN LOVE.

But not nearly as excited or as in love with the fact that Barack Obama is now our President!!

Pretty Passport Holder

When I was walking pass the travel accessories section at Saks last month, I scoffed at the idea. Why would I need a pretty passport holder when I only use it once every few months, and when I do, only very briefly when I go through customs. Most of the time, it is kept inside my bag anyway.

A day or so later, I learnt the error of my ways. 12 hours before my international flight, I realized that my passport was not where it should be. I was completely frazzled and lost. I immediately started ransacking my apartment looking for it and even called HG internationally for moral support in my panicked state (it was the middle of the night for her too!). I kept looking while she went online and checked out what one does in a situation like this (it was a saturday night so govt departments are not even opened the next day). Half an hour later, I finally found it neatly tucked away in a inconspicuous looking white envelope. I'd used my passport 6 months ago for something else and had forgotten to put it back in the pencil case looking travel bag where I put all my travel stuff in. Phew! Crisis avoided.
The next day on my ride to the airport, I retold my story to my friend and she said that this was why I should get a pretty passport holder, then I'd never have to put my passport in a white envelope. Plus, I should get an eye catching one, so I'll see it immediately. She had a point. Now i'm a convert to pretty passport holder. The question of course, is which one. I'm considering this bright red one from Saks. It is simple, elegant and vibrant. Plus, the size is just right, with little compartments for travel award cards etc (actually it might even be a great present for mom!).

How does everyone else keep their passport?

Image Source: Saks