if i were you, i'd take precaution

my parents are moving from a big house that we grew up in..
..[which has become hard to see behind the trees that have gotten so big], to a smaller, cuter house 15 minutes north. small, cute house is from the '50s and it shows, so it's undergoing a transformation.

i've learned lots of housing terminology. it used to have a 'shed roof.'
but now we have a gable with gingerbread.
(there's fajjy!)
it was just painted this weekend and my mom has been trying really hard to get a picture that accurately shows the color differences. there are 3 greens and 2 blues.
anyway other than giving color commentary, i got a lot done today. i went to the wet market to pick up some wax apples for picnic with twbf and this old taiwanese woman was speaking to me a mile in a minute in what i think had to have been taiwanese because it sounded completely unfamiliar.

on the way out, i spotted what i thought was a dog with its legs out out of the corner of my eye, but as i walked past it i saw that it was actually a GIANT [part of a] dead pig with its legs stretched out. it gave me the chills and i think i actually jumped, as the butcher turned to look at me and laughed.
twbf and i found a teeny patch of shade at the big park and he had packed a picnic that was adorable and sweet, complete with snoopy hand wipes. he bought probably 7 or 8 different kinds of bread from a bakery and had apples and kiwi cut up in tupperware and tea and orange juice. i contributed wax apples and pumpkin seeds.
there was one sweet moment when i was eating some chocolate cake thing that had a giant puff of whipped cream on the top and it started to fall and i couldn't react fast enough but he caught it in the palm of his hand.
(my tea spilled alllll over my red book and i didn't even notice until it had been sitting in tea for an hour. it smells like passionfruit now.)

following the discussion from yesterday, i should mention that he was concerned that i'm still kind of sick with a little cough and stuffy nose and that i was drinking iced tea. i tried to make the case for drinking cold things when it's hot out. you just can't win that one with taiwanese people.
i'm getting my hair highlighted tomorrow in taipei. cross your fingers it doesn't turn out bright orange or any shade of dirty blonde with a greenish tinge.