another day in paradise.....

We have had a handful of cold days all thru the winter season here, with temperature dipping down to 15C, otherwise the average temp is 24C which is really nice. Day time temp starts to heat up again, reaching 30C in the past few days.

All of the steel and concrete are in place in our new house, and it is time to pick out some tiles for the floors, bathrooms, kitchen, and the patio.

We picked up Frankie from school and went to a local Italian style restaurant for dinner......This is one of our favorite places because the pasta is very good and the curry is awesome. Portions are just right so I don't over eat.

Then we watched TV together as Frankie has already finished her homework. One of our favorite programs is the "sisters club", which is a show about foreign brides and their often hilarious experiences living in Taiwan. Most of them speak amazingly good Mandarin....

Before and after

on the left corner, our competitor from Fatsville, weighing in at 201 lbs. And on the right corner, our challenger from Slimcity, weighing in at 181 lbs.......

Here we are folks, two months and 20 lbs, with 20 more to go.

Most importantly, my body fat and organ fat have been reduced. Also, my age analysis went from 71 years to now 53 years. If I keep this up, I can actually turn back the clock and have a body younger than my actual age soon.......my wife will like that......

Rained out

Weather has been good these past few days after Chinese new year. Sunny and warm with day's high near 30C. It is perfect for those early morning work outs as I hike, walk, and run for an hour every morning at the nearby Meilun mountain. Then after lunch, I head out to the club and pick up a game with local players and manage to play 4 to 5 sets in about three hours. Some singles and some doubles.

Today we got rained out after playing 5 sets, so we got lucky. Its time to go home anyways. I hardly play any golf these days as it is much more difficult finding golfing buddies around here. But to be honest, I don't miss golf. I don't watch golf and I don't follow golf at all. I guess Tiger and I do have something in common these days. We are both taking a break from golf.

I am really enjoying getting fit again, and I am playing the best tennis ever. But playing in the heat is a real challenge as I have to change shirts every set, and constantly hydrating. I have never perspired so much in my life, and it feels great.

West meets East

Today we have friends visiting Hualien and we decided on some Hakka food, served in a tucked away restaurant deep in the mountains about an hour drive. The setting was serene and the food fantastic. Michael is studying for his PhD in London, currently doing research in Taiwan. His lady friend Jennifer is visiting from Germany where she works, and Mark, our Canadian friend has returned to Hualien for an interview as an English teacher. Incidently, Michael lived in Victoria as a child and his sister still lives in Sooke, talk about a small world.

This is the last day of the New year holiday and school starts tomorrow. Hualien is becoming quiet again as most visitors are leaving town to return to their places of origin as work and school resumes.

Bon appetit

We have been eating at home 90% of the time these days, taking advantage of the local market nearby, where we go daily to shop for fresh fish, veggies and fruits. Its good to cook everything from scratch. Tonite, we have a four course dinner, starting with pasta, then fish, then veggies, and then some fish soup. Yum yum....

Noisy new year.....

Here in Taiwan, Chinese new year is very festive as everywhere we go, we see incense burning and lots of firecrackers during the day, and fireworks light up the sky at night. Firecrackers were banned in Hong Kong after the 1967 riot, so my only childhood memory of playing with firecrackers was when I was Frankie's age. Needless to say, it was the highlight of the new year for us kids, it was a blast! Its a strange feeling to experience that again, it brings back a lot of memories which have been buried or suppressed over the years. Memories I have forgotten totally, some good and some bad.

Rebecca and Frankie spent ten days at her aunt's house in Chiayi on the west coast, which is about six hours train ride from Hualien. They are now home as we spent a quiet new year together. Most businesses are closed for three days but due to the economic downturn of the past two years, many of them stay open all thru the holidays, trying to cash in on the extra business generated from tourists. Holidays and long weekends are popular time for folks from Taipei flooding into Hualien looking for some fresh air, peace and quiet. The B&Bs are sold out and the restaurants which are open have line ups. Owners are happy, no holiday pay and no overtime here........A typical non clerical worker here in Taiwan works six days a week and 12 hours a day. Some service industry personnels such as barbers and hairdressers work 14 hours a day with two days off a month, yes, a month. There is no tipping except for some five star establishments, and the average wage is 15000 to 20000NT a month, which is $500 to $700 Cdn. Rebecca's brother, a high school teacher, earns 50000NT a month, which is $1700 Cdn. Canadian teachers make three times that.

It ain't so quiet these past few days as firecrackers and powerful fireworks fill the air with thick smell of gun powder and the noise of a battlefield. Our neighbors next door was playing with fireworks tonite, and they are more like mini missiles than Roman candles. In Canada, they would be arrested for messing around with explosives so close to buildings.........Good thing most buildings are steel and concrete here.

恭喜發財! Gong hay fat choy

In two days, the year of the tiger will begin, and I wish everyone to be healthy and strong, like a tiger. Here is a clip with Frankie practising her lion dance skills.....

Also, Frankie has started her tennis lessons this week. We have a resident coach here at the tennis club, and he has been working with young players, developing junior players from local schools. Tennis lessons are two hours each session, everyday during school holidays, and every Saturday and Sunday.