I will be back (at least) 3kg more.

Taiwan is an evil place. Really. With its XiaoLongBao, hot & spicy steamboat, Japanese restaurants (yes Japanese food in Taiwan), various forms of noodles, pineapple cakes, sweet and savoury pastries...etc., Taiwan is a place anyone who is on a diet should avoid like a plague.

And I am going there tomorrow! For three days! How I have missed you, food market! And you, Yummiest-BBQ-corn-I-have-ever-had, here I come again!

Blessed are the brave ones, for they will buy new, bigger sets of clothes soon.

JK Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement

You can watch and read her inspiring speech here.

A couple of quotes:

(On her parents wishing her to take a vocational degree) --
"...I do not blame my parents for their point of view. There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you."

(On what we can do to make a difference) --
"If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped transform for the better. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better."

Quick update.

If I haven't been updating my blog as frequently as I should, it's because:

1) I have been travelling - I just came back from a Bangkok eating and spa trip. I have had so many bowls of Tong Yum Kung that now I have decided to stay off it for the rest of the year. Next trip is end of July, destination Taiwan.

2) I have been busy googling and youtube-ing him. Have you watched Wanted? If not, I urge you to. Not only will you find it extremely entertaining (though in a weird way), you will also get to see "Britain's brightest up-and-coming actor" (quote from Arena). Then watch (or re-watch) Atonement, Becoming Jane, Penelope, The Last King of Scotland and Starter for 10, and you will know what I mean.