Let's tear down some walls

So long, best year of my life!


This is the biggest wall I ever made. Hope it'll last for decades.

What a year this was for me. A year of travel, love, new horizons, new food and new adventures. A year of many ups and few downs. A year of work, saving and enjoying. I've seen all of Taiwan and Slovenia this year, went on a trip to Macau and Seoul, toured Vienna twice, saw Bratislava, Trieste and Gorizia for the first time. I helped replacing the old roof on our house, we worked on it for 3 weeks. I constructed 3 walls in our basements and helped to pave a 10m long road near our house. I was lucky to buy me a new laptop, which helped me to blog faster and easier. In the end I even won a blog award with the help of my awesome friends. Looks like everything was somehow paying off this year. I wasn't already there where I thought I'll be by the end of 2009 (read my resolutions), but I'm happy how things turned out. I have never thought I would see Seoul and Korea so fast, I never thought I would go on such a big road trip with my girlfriend and have so much fun. There are so many more things I have not anticipated this year, too many to list them here.

So what's next in store for me? I have no idea. I have plans, hopes and dreams for next year. Moving to Taiwan and tying the knot is not something you do every day. And I hope I can have a good career and a happy harmonious life. Although I love adventures, I need a peaceful environment, where I can retreat. And in recent years it's been too much back and forth, so many travels and changes, it affects me. I need to find my base and hope that will be in Taiwan. I enjoyed my life the way it was, 5 intercontinental trips in 5 years, living in Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan all together for a year has given me so many new perspectives on life, has broadened my horizons the internet could never do. I love it, when you guys read my travelogues, but my posts could never really give you that atmosphere, that feeling, when you're somewhere in rural Malaysia in a house of friendly Chinese, who cook for you and make you feel special. Or the feeing to walk in a tropical jungle or to dine on top of a super tall skyscraper with your loved one. How many times I arrived and parted in these past years. I connect tears of joy and tears of broken hearts with airports, I love and hate them. Yet, I can't live without them. It's for me hard to live without my laptop, but even that you can take away from me. But don't take away from me the ability to hop on a plane and end up on the other side of the world the next day. My life's a big journey.

I was never sitting on a pile of banknotes, I always invested them in my trips, which were fueled by my hopes and dreams. Maybe next year that will change, but I think only a little. I'm very eager to see Japan and more of Taiwan. But I don't push myself anymore. Whatever will be, will be, I just hope it will be good. You can't really plan a whole year, you can only hope that some goals you set for yourself will be realized. If it's 50%, it's already more than you could dream of. Don't have too many expectations, but don't be aimless. Don't try to push yourself too hard, but don't lack passion. Embrace a new year with all it's dangers, challenges and possibilities. Don't regret a single thing, a mistake, a quarrel, a mishap. The year will pass too quickly and soon you can make it better in another year... and then another... and another.

Thank you everybody, who went on this journey with me the past year (and the past 5 years). It will never be the same again - it will be different - but that doesn't mean it will be worse. I am now 30, experienced and wiser (or that's what I hope). Sometimes I miss the 24 years old me, who had no idea how the world really looked like. I'm not sure, if I am that much happier now, though. But we can't stop ageing, we can't stop the world from changing. What we can do is make sure, that we adjust our pace to its pulse and hope for the best.

Happy 2011, everyone! Let's tear down some old walls.

PS: I've got another award: Blogger of the year by Netster.

This year just doesn't stop surprising me. Thanks so much, bro. I'm speechless.

A Taiwanderful interview with me

Best Taiwan blog award 2010 winner

Check the interview with me on Taiwanderful.com. I'm answering questions regarding my blog and Taiwan in general. You'll get to know me a little better, in case you are one of my new followers.

Happy 2011!

My best and worst drinks in 2010

A list of the best and worst drinks I had this year

This year was full of precious moments and as you probably know by now, I did a lot of traveling. And since my best food of 2010 post was quite popular, I decided to make another list, this time about the drinks I tried. The post is divided in two parts: First is my top 5 of the best drinks I had followed by the top 5 of the worst drinks I tried this year. Don't take the latter too seriously, though, those drinks weren't that bad, well most of them. This is just for fun. Enjoy!

The best drinks I had in 2010

1 The best: "Frogs hit in milk" bubble tea, Taipei, Taiwan: Every time I bought one of these, I gulped them down like a lost wanderer in the Sahara would gulp down a glass of water. They're made of real milk and for me this is the best bubble tea in Taipei. My article here>>

2nd best: Oolong tea in Jiufen: I remember how my girlfriend and I drank this exquisite tea on the terrace of one of the beautiful tea houses in Jiufen. It was a cold and foggy day and this tea warmed us up and we enjoyed one of the best moments of the year together. My article here>>

3rd best: Wine on top of Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan: I don't remember what kind of white wine it was. It wasn't so much the taste, it was the fact that it was my 30th birthday and I had the pleasure to dine and drink exquisite wine with my dear girlfriend on top of one of most impressive structures in the world. That made this glass of wine special. My article here>>

4th best: Fresh unprocessed milk, Izola, Slovenia: I remember how hot it was that day, when we walked around this lovely seaside town and we looked for something to drink. Then my girlfriend spotted a milk vending machine called Mlekomat and she immediately got us fresh and cold unprocessed milk. We were so thirsty, we probably finished it in a minute. It was so refreshing. Definitely one of the most memorable moments of 2010. My article here>>

5th best: Oolong Alishan with Cherry, Taichung, Taiwan: I met my then online friend Cherry for the first time when I came to Taiwan this year. We've known each other since 2008, but only online. She invited me to a lovely traditional Taiwanese restaurant. The tasty Oolong Alishan tea she treated me was one of the best drinks I enjoyed this year. A memorable moment. My article here>>

The worst drinks I had in 2010

1 The worst: Breakfast tea in Macau, PR China: I wanted to be bold one morning, so I decided to go to a restaurant, where only locals go. We were like chicken and duck inside, but people were friendly and helped me with sign language. With every meal, you also get tea. But when I saw my tea, which had a grain of rice swimming inside the cup and the dirty plastic spout on the teapot, I felt a little uncomfortable. But since I was the only westerner there, I didn't want to offend anyone. I finished my meal and drank a little of the tea. My article here>>

2nd worst: Sugar cane drink in a dirty can, Macau, PR China: I was so thirsty walking around the old part of the city. The southern part of Macau is stretched along a hill and you have to go uphill and downhill, before you reach a famous spot. I very close to the famous Penha church, where I saw an uncle selling drinks. I was so thirsty, so I chose a can of sugar cane drink, which was swimming in a small box with cold water. The drink was of course overpriced, but that didn't bother me. The can was so dirty. The photo above was taken after I wiped it with my shirt. However I was so thirsty, so I drank a little, but then I threw it away half full, I just couldn't finish it. And the taste wasn't really good either. My article here>>

3rd worst: Soju in Hyehwa, Seoul, South Korea: Those who know my blog, may be surprised to see a big Korea fan not liking soju. I'm sorry, but I don't like liquor in general. However, during my Seoul trip, I really wanted to try soju, since it's so famous. I went to have Korean barbecue and ordered soju with it. I only could drink a little, didn't like the taste and it was too strong for me. Not sure, if I'll drink it next time. One small glass would be ok, a whole bottle not.

4th worst: Kofola in Bratislava, Slovakia: This drink is advertised as the communist Coca-cola. It was very popular in Czechoslovakia decades ago, so when my girlfriend and I had to try it. However, we were charged 2 euros for one Kofola, which made us really mad and affected my judgement. When I tried it, I didn't like it that much, I expected more, but my girlfriend thought it wasn't bad. It was definitely one of the most memorable moments of the year. My article here>>

5th worst: Tea from an urinal, Taipei, Taiwan: Ok, this tea was not really bad. But I never had tea from an urinal before and now every time I see this photo, I'm shocked at myself, haha. Ok, no, not really. This was actually fun. I just added it on this list for the effect and because I didn't find anything else. Guess I had more good than bad drinks this year. My article here>>

What would be your best or worst drink of the year?

[All photos by MKL, 2010]

I was Top Tweet on Twitter!

When your tweet gets retweeted several hundred times you feel like a celebrity

Look, my tweet appeared on Twitter's homepage!

Twitter never ceases to amaze me. Today I sign in and see that HATE MALAYSIA is on trending topics. Since I have a connection with the country, I was curious about it and found out that at a soccer match Malaysian fans blinded the Indonesian goal keeper with lasers (source). Seriously, that was pretty lame. Whoever did that, does not understand the spirit of fair play. However the incident, incited by one or few people, started an online war between Malaysians and Indonesians on Twitter and other social networks. I read some tweets, became angry and wrote this:

It was a simple tweet written out of an impulse. I didn't expect much. But then suddenly people started to retweet it, Malaysians, Indonesians, Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Indians... first 3, then 20, then 62... then over 100. Suddenly I got tons of new followers, people reposted my words few hundred times. I could not believe what was happening. Not only that, so many gave me feedback, most was positive, but some accused me of being racist, a white supremacist or that I don't understand the situation in Asia. Some also asked, if in the West there was no hate. Those were the ones, that would also add something derogatory about USA.

I was RTed by @toptweets. Felt great to see my face up there. Didn't I look cool? :-P

So let me explain my epic tweet. The things I mentioned of course were generalizations, simplifications and a bit exaggerated. But what do you expect from a tweet? What else can I say in 140 signs other than something with a point, something that hits you right in the face?

Those who know me, know how hard I try to understand the reality from multiple sides and how I want to be a bridge between the East and the West, between Asia and Europe. I always try to see things for two sides in every issue. And accusing me of being a racist or white supremacist based on this tweet is hilarious, albeit baseless. My point was to highlight the silly conflicts in Asia, that always make netizens go haywire and attack each other.

Just recently there was an incident in taekwondo, where a Taiwanese athlete was disqualified unfairly by a Korean referee (source) and Taiwanese netizens went berserk, created numerous I hate Koreans groups on Facebook, some even burned Korean flags. How can you hate all people of a country because of one single incident that only involved few people? I understand the anger, but sometimes things go too far. And that was part of the reason I wrote that tweet. If you ask me, there are too many conflicts in Asia (like the one in Korea recently). And we saw how real and deadly it can become. It always starts with words, words of hate. Then incidents follow, the hate grows and suddenly there's no way back and something really bad happens. Be it in Europe or Asia, I'm against all hate. I was always against hating certain groups, just because few people from that group have done something bad.

Luckily most Asian people, who have read my tweet, got the point, that's why it became top. The most important part of my tweet is the question at the end: How about love? My point was to make you think. It's so easy to be angry and say stupid things, because you can switch off your brain and just follow what everybody does. It's harder to pause for a while and ask yourself, if it's really right to hate someone for something very trivial. And that exceeds race and culture, it's sadly a very human flaw.

Let me share some of the interesting responses to my tweet:

It was fun to be celebrity for few hours. Now I know a little what it means to be when people attack celebs or want to be their friend. It's not easy. So many asked me to follow back, but I'm very selective and don't just follow anyone. So hope you guys understand that. But I will always try to reply to someone, if I get @ed.

UPDATE: @Favstar50 has just notified me, that my tweet was favorited 51 times and retweeted 623 times. That's plain crazy :P

Sonia Sui, Taiwan's top model

One of Taiwan's exceptional women

Sonia Sui or 隋棠 (pronounced Suí Táng) is currently Taiwan's most famous top model. Born on 22nd October 1981, she's slowly approaching the age of 30, but she looks better like never before. She's part of the famous Taiwanese model agency Catwalk Production House. Last year she was voted Top Taiwanese model 2010 on one of Taiwan's most popular blogs. Sadly, she did not claim her tiara, nor did anyone from Taiwan's mainstream media notice her victory. Frankly, that doesn't speak well for the visibility of that blogger, who spills out his heart for Taiwan, but let's not go there now. Sonia Sui is for me the second most beautiful Taiwanese woman (my number one would be this amazing lady), but she's definitely top in the model business not only in Taiwan, probably in whole East Asia. Her biggest assets are her gorgeous smile and for the model business perfect waistline (58.4cm or 23 inch). According to sources, she's very mindful about what she eats in order to maintain her skinny appearance, what's more she said she's doing 100 sit ups a day to keep fit (source). She's one of these women, who can be a graceful diva, a femme fatale or the cute girl next door. She's commonly seen in Taiwanese TV ads, variety shows and soap operas. She's also booked for various events promoting beauty products, clothes, even cars. I mean, who would not want to have their product connected to this extraordinary beauty? Dear Sonia, in case you want to help me promote my blog, I'm open to that. I will send you a I love My Kafkaesque life T-shirt, you can wear it, when you go a variety show. I think it's a win-win situation for both ;-)

I browsed the web and found some great photos of Sonia. These are my favorites:

Sonia as "Cute girl next door" (Photos via: Yuanfenchang, Facebook page)

(Photo source: Akira photography, click for more photos.) Sonia as "Beautiful promoter"

Sonia as "Sexy vamp" (Photo via Vivian88job.pixnet.net)

Sonja Sui at work. Her smile is her trade mark.

(Photo via Beauty.nownews.com) Sonia as "Dreamy girl"

Sonia as "Natural beauty" (Photos via GQ, Facebook page)

(Photo via Games.seed.net.tw) Sonia as "Flirtatious honey"

Sonia as "Dazzling beauty" (Photos via E-zone.com.hk, click for more)

How do you like Sonia Sui?

Bonus: Sonia introducing Taipei, telling what she likes about it and promoting Google maps (in Mandarin Chinese).

Related: [Sonia's GQ photos][My TAIWANESE WOMEN page]

[Top Taiwanese models][My BEAUTIFUL WOMEN page]

My personal best food of 2010

This is a list of the best food I had this year

This year was one of the best years of my life. I've traveled all around Taiwan, went on two short trips to Macau and Seoul and during summer, I had the pleasure to guide my girlfriend around central Europe. We visited places like Vienna, Bratislava, Graz, Maribor, Ljubljana, Bled, Postojna, Piran, Gorizia and Trieste, to mention only few. We really had a blast this year. And together with the extensive traveling, the year was also marked with amazing new food I have tried, some even for the first time. Today I checked some of the photos of the dishes I tried and my mouth started to water. So I decided to put a list together of the best foods I had this year. I made two lists: One is about snacks and main dishes, another one is about desserts.

1 My list of Top 10 foods of 2010:

1 Bryndzové halušky, Bratislava, Slovakia. These are dumplings with sheep's cheese and bacon. This traditional Slovakian dish is really sooo yummy! I tried it for the first time and I loved it. It's really something I hope to eat again one day. It's simply the best new food I've tried this year. My article here>>

2 Fried duck, Taipei, Taiwan. I remember how I praised it as the most tender duck I ever had. This was my birthday meal, which I spent on top of Taipei 101 togethe with my lovely girlfriend, who organized it. We had the duck at 373m above sea level. It was simply divine. My article here>>

3 Fried sandwich, Keelung, Taiwan. We had this snack at one of my favorite night markets in all Taiwan. It was really delicious. They fry it and add many things inside. I'd love to eat this every day. So yummy and unique. My article here>>

4 Fried sausage, Wulai, Taiwan. This is one of the most popular dishes in Wulai and there's always a long line for this simple dish. I'm not a fan of Taiwanese fried sausages, but this one is really yummy, I truly recommend. And eat a piece of garlic with it. My article here>>

5 Ah Zong's flour rice noodles, Taipei, Taiwan. This is one of the most famous noodles in Taipei and definitely a must try, if you go to Ximending. I love the way the soup tastes. And the thin noodles are really so tender, they almost melt on your tongue. Thumbs up for this dish. My article here>>

6 Small fried sausage, Keelung, Taiwan. This one is like the small brother of the famous Wulai sausage, but it's also really yummy. Tastes slightly different, but it's a great snack. I loved it. My article here>>

7 Fried chicken cutlet, Taipei, Taiwan. This is one of the famous dishes in Shilin Night Market. And I really need to say it's truly delicious and a must try, if you come to Taipei. It's so fulling, that one is enough for two people. My article here>>

8 Crispy crepe, Banqiao, Taiwan. I used to have a favorite crepe stall near my house and I would always go to the same uncle. He was always very happy to see me and his crepes were the best. These are popular snacks in Taiwan. And you can put inside a lot of things. One of my favorite treats.

9 Fried dumplings, Banqiao, Taiwan. I had these at a small restaurants near my home very often. I love fried dumplings, they're cheap, yummy and very fulling.

10 Tteokbokki, Seoul, Korea. This is a popular snack found on streets of Seoul almost everywhere. These are rice cake stews in a spicy sauce, a little chewy, but very delicious. I ate them so fast, when I stood there on a cold spring evening in Hyehwa, because I was so hungry and they warmed me up. My article here>>

2 My list of Top 10 desserts of 2010:

1 Portuguese egg tarts, Macau, PR China. These egg tarts are so soft and tender and so delicious. I won't forget how addicted I got to them. I bought so many and brought them to the hostel, watched TV and made them disappear one by one. Definitely one of the best desserts in the world (no joke). I love them! My article here>>

2 Hong Kong styled tofu pudding, Taipei, Taiwan. My Singaporean friend Shingo and his family and my girlfriend and I went to a famous restaurant, that serves Hong Kong styled delicacies and I couldn't stop eating their tofu pudding. It was so soft and delicate, I still remember the taste. And we ordered a whole bucket, so I could eat like a pig and people even encouraged me, haha. That was fun. My article here>>

3 Blejska kremna rezina, Bled, Slovenia. This is our famous cream cake. I had one many years ago, probably in the 1990s, so I forgot how creamy and delicious it is. It's definitely the creamiest cake I've ever tried. Really worth every penny. My article here>>

4 Gelato, Koper, Slovenia. This Italian ice cream or gelato was probably the best ice cream we ate in Europe this year. My girlfriend loved it and so did I. Very sweet and rich in flavor. My article here>>

5 Pao pao ice, Keelung, Taiwan. This is also called bubble ice and it's hand made in front of your eyes. They stir the ice so long, that it becomes soft and thick, it's amazing. This is one of the best ice desserts I ever had and I really need to try other flavors. This was kiwi and really yummy. My article here>>

6 Shaved ice cream, Taipei, Taiwan. This one is from a famous shop in the Shilin Night Market. The ice is made into very thin slices and when you eat it, it melts on your tongue instantly. Taipei is famous for many shaved ice cream stores. Definitely a must try, if you visit. My article here>>

7 Pancakes with curd, Kranj, Slovenia. I had these for lunch and they were really so yummy. They're one of our traditional local desserts that you have to try, if you visit. My article here>>

8 Chocolate cake, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. We had this cake with coffee and tea early in the morning after a long walk. It was really delicious and gave us energy to walk more. Great memories. My article here>>

9 Cream cake, Ljubljana, Slovenia. We had this one in a small French styled café named Le Petit Café and we really liked it. It's similar to the famous Bled cream cake, but less creamy, however still very tasty. My article here>>

10 Poop ice cream, Taipei, Taiwan. We had this one in the famous theme restaurant Modern Toilet in Ximending. The ice cream was surprisingly creamy, I liked it a lot. My article here>>

MKL is not a food blogger and this is not a food blog, however food has the right to appear on this blog with all of its unpleasant side effects for the reader such as excessive drooling or the growling of the stomach or incontrollable urges to open the fridge and curse, because you find out that you have nothing tasty at home. Sorry, mate (go out, if it ain't late).

What were your best foods you tried this year?

More on food here and here.