A stall selling freshly squeezed fruit juice and shaved ice. The mango shaved ice (the flavor I tried) was delicious and was made from fresh mangos

Despite what the name implies, the Shilin Night Market is not a marketplace that is only open at night.  It’s open all day, seven days a week.  However, it is the most crowded at night, and on weekends.  This market is famous for being the largest of it’s kind in all of Taiwan.  The stalls here don’t just sell produce though, unlike the traditional markets.  There are foods of all kinds (mostly snacks that you can eat as you walk), games and activities to enjoy, and clothing stores stocked with the latest fashions.

The number of people that flock to the Shilin Night market is incredible.  Teenagers go to hang out after a long week of school and hang out with friends.

This is an air soft shooting range. Shooting all the balloons can win you a prize, like the stuffed animals on the floor)

Tour groups come through just to marvel at the sea of people crowding the area.  Fatties like me go and pig out on the awesome food.  Even beggars go to cajole you out of your spare change, since that’s where everyone is. My favorite part of the night market is at the back of the main building;  it is basically a giant arcade.  When my friend and I came here a couple of years ago we would spend hours shooting hoops there.

Since the main attraction of Shilin is it’s food, its no surprise that quite a few stalls have become famous among the locals for having great food at a low price. There is one place that sells deep fried chicken steaks for 50NT dolars each (about 1.60USD) that is so popular that the line for their stall last Saturday night when I went stretched almost out of the night market (a distance of about 50 feet).

An overhead shot of one of the lanes of the market. Luckily I am taller than most of the people here so I could get a good shot of this sea of people.

-Matt

I just finished Rampant by Diana Peterfreund almost an hour ago now. I absolutely adore this book, and I think if you want to make fun of a book but then fall in love with it, this is your book. Rampant is about Astrid, a 16 year old girl who grew up with the stories of killer unicorns. She didn’t believe in these unicorns until her boyfriend was stabbed by one and almost died. From there, her mother sent her to a convent-like place in Italy where she was to train to be a unicorn hunter. Things get sticky and complicated when Astrid’s cousin shows up and is attacked by unicorns.

This book was amazing. I really really enjoyed it. At first I was skeptical, I mean killer unicorns, unicorn hunters, really? But then I started reading it, and I got sucked in. The characters are amazing, and there’s plot twist. I love it, it’s like modern mythology. It’s very good.

I love the characters, everyone was different from everyone else . My favorites are the little baby unicorn zhi thing called Bonegrinder, it was super cute. I also loved the boy Giovanni. He was very fun, and would make for a great fictional boyfriend.

Over all this book was epic. It took an overused topic–unicorns–and turned it into something really awesome. So if you’re interested in check it out go here. Then tell me what you think!

If you like fantasy’s based in modern world, than I’m pretty sure you’ll like this book.

Enjoy

~Nicole

HICCUPS! Hic-hic

Don’t you feel extremely irritated when you suddenly get the hiccups? I’ve heard several methods of getting rid of them, including looking up at the sky and saying “cow” (I’ve tried it; it worked four times but then it didn’t work anymore), holding your breath, having someone else scare you…the list goes on and on.

Hiccups are actually when your diaphragmatic nerves get irritated. You can get hiccups from drinking soda, or simply from shifting from a warm temperature to a cold temperature too quickly. If you have a really long episode of hiccups, you may eventually become exhausted. Here are a few old home remedies (hope they work…):

1) Lemons
You can either squirt lemon juice to the back of your throat, or suck on a slice of lemon.

2) Honey and Water
For babies only: let them sip honey with water.

3) BREATHE
Get a small paper bag and press it tightly around your mouth. Breathe in and out.

4) Sugar
Put a teaspoon of sugar on your tongue. Take a glass of cold water and wash the sugar down.

5) Water? The Old Fashioned Way?
You can either plug your ears, and then drink cold water or sip warm water with or without honey in it.

6) Ear Stuffing
Put your fingers in your ears.

Sources: http://www.healthoma.com/proven-remedies-to-stop-hiccups/, http://www.health911.com/remedies/rem_hic.htm, and Healing Remedies by C. Norman Shealy MD, PhD

Click here to request this book from your Wake County Public Library:)

Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman (Author of Downsiders)

“A roller coaster ride of a book…” says KLIATT, and it truly is. It was a page-turner for sure.

Quinn and Blake are siblings, but you could never tell from their personalities. Quinn has that bring-it-on type of attitude, his entire face basically a lightning rod from all the piercings he has, while Blake, the older, more sensible one, is graduating early from high school and going to an Ivy League college.

When Blake, Quinn, Russ, and Maggie go together to an amusement park, Blake meets Cassandra, the beautiful girl who is running the ball-toss booth. She hands him a ball and says, “This one’s on the house,” and as Blake throws, he wins. Cassandra picks out a stuffed animal for him, and in the animal’s pocket is an invitation that reads: “An invitation to ride 10 Hawking Road Midnight to Dawn”. When he looks back to ask her about it, she’s gone, and is replaced by a bearded guy. There is something intriguing about the girl.

Once at home, Blake and Quinn encounter more problems. Their relationship with each other is slowly coming apart, and then an argument does it. The next thing Blake knows, he’s watching Quinn being carted off to the hospital because Quinn has fallen into a coma. But inside, Blake knows that Quinn is somewhere else, and he suspects that Quinn is at the amusement park.

Once there, Blake, Russ, and Maggie have to finish seven rides by dawn in order to get out of the carnival and find Quinn. Otherwise they will be stuck there forever. But each ride becomes harder and harder to take, for they reflect personal fears that no one dares mention…especially for Blake.

I think I might check out some of his other books. This is the first book by Shusterman that I have read, but I’m looking forward to some other ones.

This book was spun out of an author with amazing imagination. Very good story, and I definitely recommend this for people who want action and suspense, and maybe a little creep factor in the equation.

Four star book:)

Summary: Ever since he was a little boy, Carl Fredricksen’s idol has been Charles Muntz, an explorer who was disgraced and accused of falsehood for bringing back the skeleton of the monster from Paradise Falls. Legend has it that he travels back to Paradise Falls to prove he didn’t make up the monster and never returned.

Paradise Falls is a legendary place that rests above South America, and Ellie, Fredrickson’s wife, wants to one day journey to Paradise Falls and live right beside the Falls. But the years go by and they never manage to save enough money, always having to spend it on someone else. And the time comes when Ellie breathes her last breath and lonely Carl has to cope by himself. He refuses to move from his house, but when he knocks a worker on the head with his cane, he has to move to a retirement home. But the next day, when the retirement home people come to pick him up, they watch in amazement as millions of balloons sprout out of Carl’s house and the house lifts up, up, out of the ground, and into the sky, towards Paradise Falls…

Comments: Amazing family movie, really. I love how Pixar showed the passing of Ellie and Carl’s lives together, not using words, just pictures and expressions. Every little turn held a bit of laughter and surprise, and sometimes it made you go, “Aww…” My nine-year old sister adored the movie, as did I, a high school freshman, and my mother. I mean, what can I say? It’s just something you have to watch to understand. I guess the biggest surprise and the saddest part was Ellie’s death. I expected the two to go together to Paradise Falls, however, Russell takes Ellie’s place (and you’ll find Russell’s personality hilarious).

Excerpt from the Movie:

[Carl and Russell find Dug in a South American desert]

Russell: [pets Dug] Hey, I like dogs!

Carl Fredricksen: [calling out] We have your dog!

Russell: [Dug walks around Russell] Whoa.

Carl Fredricksen: I wonder who he belongs to?

Russell: Sit boy. [Dug sits]

Russell: Hey look, he’s trained! Shake. [Dug shakes his paw]

Russell: Uh-huh. Speak.

Dug: Hi there.

Russell, Carl Fredricksen: [surprised exclamations]

Carl Fredricksen: Did that dog just say “Hi there”?

Dug: Oh yes.

Carl Fredricksen: Whaa!

Dug: My name is Dug. I have just met you, and I love you. [he jumps up on Carl]

Carl Fredricksen: Wha…

Dug: My master made me this collar. He is a good and smart master and he made me this collar so that I may speak. Squirrel! [looks to distance for a few seconds]

Dug: My master is good and smart.

Carl Fredricksen: It’s not possible!

Dug: Oh it is because my master is smart!

Russell: Cool! What do these do, boy? [Russell starts to fiddle with a dial on Dug's collar]

Dug: [cycling through languages and different voices] Hey would you – [Spanish]

Dug: – I use that collar – [Japanese] Dug: – to talk with – I would be happy if you stop.

Carl Fredricksen: Russel, don’t touch that. It could be… radioactive or something.

Dug: I am a great tracker. My pack sent me on a special mission, all by myself. Have you seen a bird? I am going to find one, and I am on the scent. I am a great tracker; did I mention that? [Dug is suddenly attacked by Kevin, who shrieks in Dug's face after pinning him to the ground]

Dug: Hey, that is a bird! I have never seen one up close, but this is a bird. May I take your bird back to camp as my prisoner?

Carl Fredricksen: Yes, yes, take it! And on the way, learn how to bark like a real dog!

Dug: I can bark. [barks]

Dug: And this is howling. [howls]

Dug: [Kevin screeches]

Russell: Can we keep him? Please, please, please? [Carl says "No."]

Carl Fredricksen: No.

Russell: But it’s a TALKING DOG!

Taken from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1049413/quotes Rating: Amazing. Immediate 5-star family animated feature.

Up Movie Review Movie: Pixar’s UP

Director: Pete Docter, Co-director: Bob Peterson

Rating: PG, Length: 96 minutes

Genre: Family, Comedy, Animation, Adventure

Awards: Artios for Outstanding Achievement in Casting for Animation Feature (Kevin Reher and Natalie Lyon), Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer Movie: Comedy, Future Film Festival Digital Award – Special Mention (Pete Docter)

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1049413/

Christmas season: the best and worst season of them all. Parents think they have it bad, but at least they have money to buy presents, and they don’t have exams to study for.

When Christmas/exam season comes around, most of us sadly stack away our 300+ page novels, and watch them longingly every day, wishing we had time to read one–time to read anything.

Yes? Well, I have an idea. Some authors have gladly gifted our world with shorter novels. Or, if you want something even better: children’s novels. Here’s a list of some of the best of both of them:

(Click the title to go to the Wake County Library page to read the description and request.)

1. Lips Touch (Three Times) : While this book is above 200 pages, it qualifies because it is broken down into three short stories, each one tantalizing and page-turning. Wrought with original dialogue and beautiful description (plus BEAUTIFUL pictures at the start of each story), LTTT is definitely a good choice. Seriously. My favorite book right now.

2. Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances : Like LTTT, this is broken down into three shorter stories, and it’s Christmas-themed, so how could you not pick it up? I actually haven’t read this one (though I’m planning to), but it’s received good reviews, and is written by best-selling authors John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle.

3. Genesis This 150 page novel is about a girl named Anax, who uncovers information that forces her to contemplate the nature of consciousness and the rights of humanity in the face of complex artificial intelligence technology. Whew, but wow! REALLY good response from this book (and a beautiful cover, which of course means a lot).

4. The Graveyard Book: Classic Neil Gaiman. Won tons of awards. You can’t go wrong. Okay, well its 307 pages (so I guess I’m cheating), but it’s a middle grade book (large font, wide spaces) with illustrations so it’s not really that long.

5. Wake: 210 pages, a quirky writing style that you’ll either love or hate (but either way it flies by), and a story about a girl that controls dreams—you can’t pass on that, can you? Written by Lisa McMann.

6. Living Dead Girl*: This short, emotional read about a girl who is abducted and abused is only 170 pages but arguably more powerful than many of the other books like it out there.

7. Skeleton Creek: This book/movie mystery by Patrick Carman is creepy and LOADS of fun. You read some of the story (aka Ryan’s Journal), then the book gives you a password for a video online (aka his friends video journal). It’s really cool, and… guess what? Yeah. 185 pages.

8. If I Stay (This 195 page page-turner about a girl in a coma, who can see what is going on around her and must decide whether or not to stay (much more exciting than that pitiful summary) is quite possibly the sweetest book I have ever read, and I’m certain will be one of your favorites.

9. Me, the Missing, and the Dead: Just over 200 pages (201 pages), this book by Jenny Valentine contains a urn that speaks to a boy, and a boy whose father disappeared a long time ago.

and of course there’s always

10. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: 217 Pages. Brilliant. Enough said.

Enjoy your holidays!

*this book may contain material unsuitable for some people, so please use discretion.

Have any of you guys ever seen a street performer in action?  They’re pretty rare in NC, but in heavily populated areas like the metropolitan, they’re a dime a dozen.

One of the most popular places for street performers to go is the shopping plaza near Taipei 101.  Weekends especially, the streets and courtyards are lined with people doing stuff ranging from card tricks to break dancing.

This performer acted like a cat, and did stuff like leap from bench to bench and crawl around on all fours

The perseverance of these actors is actually pretty incredible.  They perform for several hours, without taking a rest or breaking character.

For example, the other night the man dressed as a warrior at one point stood so perfectly still that he actually looked like he was a

The first time I saw this guy, he stood very still and looked just like a statue. The next day, he was moving around like a robot

 statue. Then, some guy (definitely not me) walked a little too close to his stand and he suddenly sprang to life and grabbed the poor guy.

A lot of these performers are college students enrolled in a school of art, trying to make a little extra money.  It’s common courtesy to toss some money into the container in front of the performer if you like their act, but of course it’s up to you.

I had recorded one guy doing a mime act, but unfortunately I can’t upload it onto this blog. If you’re interested, there are other videos of Taiwan street performers in Youtube.

-Matt

One problem that people always encounter traveling to other parts of the world is communication, both with the locals and with people back home.  The problem is that most people don’t think about this until they get there.

The main language spoken here is Chinese, but like most other places in Eastern Asia, there is a local dialect.  The dialect in Taiwan is called Taiwanese. Fortunately, many people over here can speak at least a little English, and I actually speak Chinese fairly well, so I’m not completely lost.

Finding a way to call back to the US was a problem when I first arrived in Taiwan.  Long distance calls are really expensive if you don’t have the right plan, and I also wanted to find a new SIM card to put in my cell phone so I could use it here in Taiwan. Well, I ended up getting a Skype account and signing up for a monthly plan there, because all you really need is an internet connection to video chat or call a phone pretty much anywhere in the world.  Plus the quality of the calls are pretty good, and its affordable. (Also, I set it up so that if someone calls my Skype account and I miss the call, it transfers the call straight to my cell phone.)

The alternative to using Skype would be buying a phone card and making calls with a pay phone.  However, it’s kind of a hassle, because to call overseas you have to enter a certain series of codes every time, and their pretty hard to remember.  I still have the right cards though, just in case something happens and I don’t have access to Skype.

Before my trip over here to Asia, I had recently switched cell phone providers from Alltel to AT&T.   Alltel, along with some of the other cell phone companies in the US, doesn’t use SIM cards.  AT&T provides a global plan that let me use my cell phone over here in Asia, but it is pretty expensive.  But, since AT&T phones had removable SIM cards installed, after I got my phone unlocked I was able to bring it here and get a SIM card with a local phone company and make phone calls at a lower rate.  I have a certain number of minutes on my phone, and If I want to add more I just stop by a 7-11 and buy a card.

-Matt

New Moon:  The Official Illustrated Movie Guide by Mark Cotta Vaz–Lots of glossy photos and behind-the-scenes info about the movie set

God Guy: Becoming the Man You’re Meant to Be by Michael DiMarco–Learn to be a God Guy and see how it could improve your life.

Click on the links to request a copy

Gentlemen by Michael Northrop–A group of boys that are thought of as “bad boys” investigate their teacher when one of the group goes missing.

The Everafter by Amy Huntley–Madison is dead, but she still has all of her possessions.  Surprisingly, she discovers she can use these artifacts to relive or even change moments in her life.  Sounds intriguing.

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst–Cassie’s long lost mother can be returned to her if Cassie agrees to marry a polar bear in this amazing journey through the Arctic.

Click here to read the rest of the new titles

Shadowland (The Immortals) by Alyson Noel–A sequel to the book Evermore

Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble–Anne wakes up in another world as Anastasia, daughter to the last tsar of Russia.

Raven Summer by David Almond–A bird leads a 14-year old boy to an abandoned boy and becomes involved in the child’s world.

Is it Still Called Cheating if I Don’t Get Caught? by Bruce Weinstein–A primer on how to hand difficult situations.  Weinstein introduces 5 simple rules he believes can be applied to any situation.

Everything Sucks: Losing my Mind and Finding Myself in a High School Quest for Cool by Hannah Friedman–The author writes a memoir of how she survived her teenage years.

Click on the links to request a copy from Wake County Libraries.