Grand Hotel in Taipei

One of the more iconic symbols of Taipei is the Grand Hotel, suggested originally by Chiang Kai Shek as a venue to house foreign ambassadors in luxury. Seems that that policy was pretty successful as the hotel has since hosted Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, Nelson Mandela and Ronald Reagan to name just a few notable guests. The hotel is built on Yuanshan Mountain with an impressive Chinese palace style complete with eaves and Chinese style balconies.

KBS Studio

Aside from the outdoor KBS studio in Suwon City, KBS has another studio/museum open to the public in Seoul in Yeongdeungpo. I had taken the metro to Yeouido station and little did I know how far a walk it was to get here, it certainly looked a lot closer on google maps! After exiting the subway, you can head towards the huge park in the northwest direction (you can't miss it, huge patch of green), then take the underground walkway (this was a bit scary since there was no one walking in it...). When you exit, don't walk to the nearest building because that's not KBS (I made this mistake =P). Head southwest for a little bit and then you should probably see this building below.

Food @ Taipei 101

I was visiting a friend in the Xinyi district and we decided to stop by the Taipei 101 for a visit and to grab some lunch.

The cafeteria/food court was immaculate and rather spacious, with an upscale feel to the surroundings, rather unlike the food courts generally found in North American malls.

Change Review (2008)

Drama Rating: ***
Personal Rating: Loved it!

Story:
Asakura Keita was just working as a regular elementary school teacher when his father, a member of parliament died in a plane accident.  Kanbayashi-sensei, a powerful and influential member of the ruling Seiyu party, suggests Asakura to run in his father's stead and sends his secretary Miyama to persuade and aid him.  With the help of election planner Nirasawa, Asakura ends up unexpectedly winning his seat.

Not long after, the Prime Minister was forced to resign and Kanbayashi-sensei conceives a plan to have Asakura run for the leadership of Seiyu's party, thereby becoming Prime Minister of Japan.  Kanbayashi's planned to be the real power behind the PM and simply wanted to use Asakura as a puppet.  However, once Asakura took office, things start to go awry for Kanbayashi as Asakura begins to realize the power he wields for change.

Hotel Loyalty Program Room/Suite Upgrade Redemptions

Another aspect to consider between different hotel loyalty programs aside from free night redemptions are the point costs for room/suite upgrades.  For the budget conscious traveller like myself, this aspect of the program usually doesn't appeal to me.  However, for those looking for a little bit of extra luxury at a small premium, this might be something to consider.

Again, I'll be just commenting at the Hilton, Hyatt, Starwood and Marriott programs for now.

Good Luck!! Review (2003)

Drama Rating: ****
Personal Rating: All time favourite!!

Story:
Shinkai works as a first officer at ANA with his sights set on becoming a full captain.  However, he seems to have gotten on the wrong side of Captain Koda, a cold and stern pilot from the flight audit department who seems dismissive of Shinkai's attitude towards rules and regulations.  Meanwhile, Ogawa, a tough-looking mechanic at the same company, seems to dread flying and appears to be carrying some tough, emotional baggage.  Can Shinkai get through to Ogawa and get back into Captain Koda's good books?