Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Puppy love

Frankie has always wanted a pet, and we have always resisted, until now....
We surprised her by bringing home Lala during school hours......our American neighbours Ed & Kukui had bought a Chihuahua pup, a boy a day earlier, and in order not to have Frankie next door everyday drooling, we decided to bring home also a Chihuahua pup, a girl, born two months ago.
Lala eats like a pig, she simply chows down in no time, slurping the dish clean. But she is adorable, acting more like a cat than a dog. We keep her strictly inside, perhaps until she is a bit older.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Green island getaway

Last weekend, our friend Richard organized a trip for the ten of us to visit Green island which is a very small island off the east coast of Taiwan. First we drove to Taitung which took about four hours.



The ten of us are : Richard and Jean, Ed & Kukui, Keith, Yi Fang & Joshua, and my family of three.
We stopped at a few scenic sights along the way...

Green island is beautiful, and until a few years ago, it housed the most notorious prison in Taiwan, which was where political dissidents from the Chiang Kai Shek (228) were locked up, and those were the lucky ones. Many were murdered for crimes they did not commit, but just out of pure fear of resistance to the ruling party. It was a sad chapter in the short history of Taiwan and many to this day, are still bitter and resentful. Part of the reason for the insurgence of the DDP in the years after Chiang died.

The prison now houses the most hard cored criminals of Taiwan, and because of its location, quite similar to Alcatraz. Richard is a retired Warden and has been posted twice in Green island, therefore, he took us in for a grand tour of the prison inside which is not opened to the public. We watched the inmates in their cells and all seem peaceful. Guards do not carry weapons, which is amazing given the fact that this is a maximum security institution. Daily teachings of the buddha are compulsory, and inmates earn grades so that their comfort level improves when their grades improve. Early parole is also possible when inmates show that they have been rehabilitated. 

Green island is known for its scuba diving and snorkelling. Surrounded by coral reefs and miles of sandy beaches, the marine life is abundant and various. Frankie snorkelled for the first time, and she liked it so much that we went out again the next day. 

We rode scooters around the island, and every where we went. It was fun except when it rained, and it rains a lot on the island. Reminds me quite a bit of Hawaii. 
Here are some snapshots Ed took......



















Frankie turns 11

& growing up fast.....took her to her favorite shabu shabu at Parkview hotel across the street from us..
Ed & Kukui who now live next door came over for birthday cake and tea.....

Friday, May 4, 2012

Beauty and the beast

well, not quite. Met coach Yang's beautiful daughter who is a top Taiwanese player and also a coach to some top local juniors. We got hammered by two teenage girls with killer backhands.....

It was a hot day with temp over 30c, you can see I was soaked after just one set. I played four sets, won two and lost two, not bad. I don't play clay court enough and there are plenty of them in Taiwan, kinda fun slipping and sliding all over the place.

Kaohsiung take two

This weekend I am back to Kaohsiung with my tennis friends attending an ATP professional tournament, and also playing friendly games with some local club players.























stopped at a local restaurant.....

Saw some top players from all over the world, but not inside the world's top 100....still very high calibre tennis.......

we saw the men's single final and double final......

We also played with some local players......and met coach Yang's beautiful daughter, a top local player and also a coach to some top juniors in the city...


Thursday, May 3, 2012

Kaohsiung take one

Two weekends ago, I went to the Toastmasters spring conference in Kaohsiung with a few friends.
E da is a newly constructed community, with hospital, schools and university, just outside of the city of Kaohsiung.
The theme, design and color are all similar to the Venetian.