Summer in Victoria

Ichiban!
Medy treated us to a fabulous dinner at his new restaurant downtown.
The lobster sashimi 龍蝦刺身 is out of this world! And the lobster head and tail made with miso soup is fantastic! Good friends.
Good food.
Good times.

Sleepless in Seattle!

Seahawks fans will have a few sleepless nights until the big game this Sunday, as Seattle will try a back to back Super bowl win over the cheating Pats. But what a game it was last week!
Down 16 points at the half, they mounted one of the most incredible and impossible come back to beat Green Bay. Of course this is a delayed broadcast as NFL is not a popular sport here in Taiwan. However, Super bowl will be broadcasted live here on Monday Feb 2 at 730pm local time. Guess I will skip Toastmasters and watch this historical sporting event. Go Hawks go!

Mid winter in Taiwan

Another day in paradise! Here we are in the middle of a winter, and we are basking in summer like weather. Hualien is blessed with warm and sunny winters, which is a special treat for a snowbird like me. I don't know if I can ever leave this and return to the cold and damp, but then again, what the hell for?!

Love is in the air......

Allen's second son Mark, got married two weeks ago in Taipei and along with many good friends from Canada, we attended the beautiful wedding at le Meridien. Mark was just ten years old when we first met him, and now one of the most sought after male actors in Asia. His lovely bride does not fare any worse, as she is probably the most popular actress in China and becoming well known outside of China as well. What a perfect couple! Most important is, the fact that they truly love and want each other. What a perfect bridge between the mainland and Taiwan also!
Here are some pictures from the wedding......

Summer of 2014

Again, this summer I went home to Victoria to see mom and family, and friends. Frankie has summer school in Hualien and therefore, stayed behind with Rebecca. Mom is now 85 but with medications, she is actually holding up quite well. She even cooks and makes soups for me!
Secret Asian men was back in Chinatown this summer jamming, and good to see all band members healthy and in good spirits.
Boys at Beacon hill are hitting those yellow balls fast and hard. Had a few singles with Henry and I finally have the upper hand. Weight training does pay off, adding more power to my game.
I stopped in HK and flew to Chengdu to stay with an old friend and saw a different part of China. Boy, do they love playing mah jong or what! It is everywhere.
Here are some pictures and videos I shot:

Moving up!

Whoa, its been a while since I updated this blog! Much has happened, moving to a new condo is top of the list. The townhouse was nice, but up and down the stairs all day was not fun, and despite having a total area of 2800 sq ft, the real living space is about half as we seldom used the basement or the top floor. So, a change was needed and we found a rental on the 12th floor of a building just down the street. Well managed and quiet, the monthly rent is only 10000NT, which is just over $300US. So, we spent a small fortune on renovation to make it more livable.......
Here are some before pictures:

As you can see, just a hole in the wall, so I hired an interior decorator and $30000US later.....

a complete makeover, with some of our old furniture, and lots of colours. And don't forget the view, from every room.....

Yes, the central mountain range and the city view, and directly below us is the par5 and par3 of Hualien golf club. Fortunately we are high enough above the golf course so when some hackers shank, our windows are safe. Feels like I am on vacation, everyday!