Mission impossible: a new challenge

Friend of a friend has heard about my weight loss success, and has asked if he could get some help for his daughter. Ya Ping is 25 years old, and has been fighting obesity most of her life. She currently weighs a whopping 180 lbs, and wants to lose 60 lbs.

Whew!

That is a challenge for sure.

She is a very pretty girl, and upon losing 60 lbs, she could be a model. I hope that prospect is enough to drive her to reach her goal. I am glad to help, offering support along the way....

The fact that she had the courage to wear a bathing suit for our "before" and "after" file, shows great determination and committment. Lets wish her success......

A funeral

Feng Yi's grandma passed away last week, and we are attending her funeral in Chiayi today.
Due to traffic congestion, a normally six hour trip lasted nine hours......

Her grandma is 88 years old, prediseased by Feng Yi's mom and dad a few years ago. In this video, you will see the funeral possession from the chapel to the crematorium......

This is the first time for me to attend a traditional Chinese funeral, very different indeed. This next video shows the chambers of the crematoriums, there were six in total. Each corpse inside the coffin has a number, and must wait in line for the chambers. There were about ten waiting when we got there. It was a hot day, not the best day to be next to the incinerators. The smoke and fumes were just too much, so we left early. Her offsprings went back later in the afternoon to receive the ashes kept inside an urn, and the urn is placed at the memorial tower within the property which is government owned. This next video shows the chambers....

There was a lunch after the funeral, and we stayed an extra night so that we didn't have to rush home. Next day on the way home, we stopped in Lugang, an old harbor town which is very quaint and has historical values. The old town in this video was built during the Ching dynasty over 130 years ago, and has been preserved under government designation. It was a time capsule.....

An old European style mansion is now a museum, and we spent two hours inside. It was awesome. It is similar to Victoria's Craigdarroch castle. It housed a local baron and his family. He was one of the early Chinese settlers here in Taiwan, arriving from mainland China 150 years ago.

It was an excellent side trip. We arrived home six hours later.

To sir with love

Teacher Pan invited us to a summer feast at his home. He had a mini banquet with three tables set up on his front lawn. This is a common event in Taiwan due to the nice warm evenings. Some wedding banquets take place on the streets with full catering, amazing.
Anyways, we met some of his students from the past, who keep in touch with him and come to dinner often, now with their own children. Many stories of course, much like our get togethers in HK with old school chums. Very special indeed.

Another teacher, my brother in law Robert, became a Christian this weekend, being baptized at his church. We were invited to attend....

Here is another day in paradise........

Weigh a minute......

With over two months of eating and drinking in indulgence, my weight was 170 when I arrived home in Taiwan one week ago, gaining 10 lbs during my vacation in Canada. However, that did not cause a panic as I am now quite confident of managing my weight, given the favorable conditions around me. In Canada, conditions are not favorable for effective weight management as the generally cool climate does not allow enough sweating. A thoroughly good sweat daily requires constant hydration, which is an effective method of elevating the level of metabolism.

Although I was confident that I could lose the 10 lbs I gained while I was abroad, what I did not expect was how I could so so quickly, and not only losing what I gained, but more than I gained. Yes, 14 lbs in one week. Amazing but true. I am now at my lightest since I started my weight loss program early this year, from 201 lbs to 156 lbs, a total loss of 45 lbs. Ideally, I would like to be around 150 before year end.......

With that out of the way, its time to go shopping and stock up the fridge......

Although we eat mostly vegetarian, we do enjoy having varieties, particularly fresh local seafood. Veggies and fruits are abundant here, and dirt cheap. Hualien is not for everyone, but for folks like myself who loves eating and yet be able to manage our weight and stay healthy, this is truly paradise..........

Home again!

Although I've lived in Canada most of my life, I feel that I am "home" when I return to Asia.
After spending summer in Canada visiting family and friends, its time to come home.....

First thing we did was to check on the progress of our new home, a block from the ocean and across from the Parkview Hotel and Hualien's one and only golf course.

Building is there, just waiting for some permits and then the crew from Taipei will come and start the interior.

Being away all summer, we missed the summer concerts here in Hualien, sponsored by the state government and free to all. This weekend is the last chance and we met up with friends to catch an evening of music, fun, and food. Unlike North America, outdoor concerts here are very civilized: volunteers supply plastic chairs, thousands of them so folks don't have to stand for hours. No worries of being thirsty or hungry: food and beverage vendors have everything you will need, from noodles to fried chicken, french fries to fresh fruits, roasted squid to raw sea urchins, fresh squeezed juices to Taiwan beer. What is interesting is that nobody got drunk.....Imagine serving beer outdoors in the public in Canada??????

The concert itself is beyond my expectations. The stage is extravagantly beautiful. The lighting is first class. Sound is awesome with five jumbo screens.

There was a thunderstorm at the beginning of the concert, and guess what? Volunteers distributed thousands of rain suits to the crowd so no one got soaked, and everyone stayed!! Rain lasted about 30 minutes, and it was really strange sitting there in pouring rain listening to music with thousands others. The tropical rain is so warm, and it was actually a good thing, because it cooled the evening down........

Some of the artists were first class entertainers, and popular local stars. I even know some of the songs. Warm up acts included mostly indigenous folks with songs and dance, and when my favorite "Gao Shan Qing" played, I was so excited that I messed up the video, but the music was clear........

Concert itself lasted about 3 hours, warm up acts were there all afternoon......My guesstimate is that the crowd was over ten thousand with visitors from Malaysia, Hong Kong and the mainland...Our friend in one of the videos is Michael, who was born and raised in Sooke! He now lives and works in Taipei and comes to Hualien often. He is one quarter Chinese and three quarters caucasian, but speaks Mandarin very well. He is good friend of Lisen, who succumbed to Cancer two months ago.....Lisen's two daughters spent a few years in the US, are friends of Frankie as they play together often.

After the concert ended, we were treated to a most fantastic fireworks show....

Fireworks literally exploded over our heads! The gunpowder smell and debris showered us, and we had to walk away to a distance.......the sound and brilliant colors were overwhelming, I have never experienced fireworks so close, except one time in Phuket where they had fireworks off the beach directly over our heads......Ten minutes of non stop fire power was one heck of a show, what a way to end a concert and an awesome evening in warm tropical weather.......glad to be home!

Sleepless in Seattle

Before coming home to Hualien, we took a trip to Seattle...

After the duck ride on Lake Union, we went to the Seattle Needle....

Supper at P.F. Chang's China bistro, surprisingly good!

Then some sightseeing the next day, with stops at the art and music museums, Pike place market, Pioneer Square.........

Today, we are packing and ready to come home, leaving Victoria tomorrow morning, and arriving Hualien on 8/27.

Around town

Victoria has an old Chinatown, dating back to the 1860s....

Victoria has many golf courses, and today, we played at the Bear Mountain which has 36 holes designed by Jack Nicklaus. The view is incredible, you can see all of Victoria at the top of the mountain. This is also where the Canadian Skins game is.

After the game, we have some cool drinks at the bar.......