Happy Hannukah!!!

Did not want to let this season's Festival of Lights, better know to us all as Hanukkah, pass by without wishing all of you, my friends a very WONDERFUL and SHINING Season of Hanukkah!

Truly one of the best Holidays I have ever come to known - i love the music, the prayer, the bringing of the family & friends together for the tradition of lighting up the candles for 8 consecutive nites culminating on a feast to celebrate the occasion... and not forgetting the 8 Gifts, one for each nite.... okay this part are mostly for kids, but hey, am a BIG KID.... simply heartwarming.....

Growing up in the Bay Area, I was Blessed to have experienced and come to know this Jewish Holiday... have even practiced the tradition for a few years.... and actually miss the tradition's ritual now and again....

Happy Thanksgiving All!!!

a contact on 365project posted this and I thought it needs sharing:

"people who study positive psychology (yes, there is such a thing) have provided some pretty solid research indicating that people who practice expressing gratitude on a regular basis are far more likely to be happy and healthy than those who don't."

Makes sense to me, really, but SADLY, it is something that is often forgotten. We are reminded of course, over Holidays such as Thanksgiving and soon to come, XMas.... but we need not wait for these moments -- we ought to always give Thanks where it's due... So here, I give mine:

Thank You All for the Love, the Friendships, the Support, and making my days worth living... for continually inspiring me to strive harder, no matter how, at times, things really seem hopeless...

Flora Expo Opens In Cloudy Rainy Taipei

Last nite, so many of us here in Taipei were soooo looking forward to watching the fireworks to officially welcome the opening of the 2010 Taipei Flora Exhibition - truly one of the most anticipated BIG EVENTS this year.... lots of $$$ was spent for this fireworks of fireworks display to be.... Sadly, the weather did not cooperate... it was a rainy, cloudy nite.... so for the most part all that glitter and shimmering fireworks went off hidden behind the clouds....

Good thing we live by the Dajia river park where it should have been very visible...we did not have to travel far, deal with the traffic and parking, as most revelers did.... wish they could have postponed for another nite, a much clearer one but Oh Well....

Here's an excerpt I found from last nite's fireworks display- the clearest one so far.... Note: a short one as this was probably the most visible one the lenser got...

Yesterday also marked, Lyn's Birthday... so we had a little cake for her - a few friends stopped by and Jewel got out and came to visit our home for the very first time....

More Photos Here

XMAS ALREADY!!!!! WHOAH!!!!

OMG..... i was just thinking about the Halloween project i need to do when i get back to Taiwan - and BOOM, I was hit with nothing sooooo much XMas decors and such - all over Manila.... the ride from the airport to the city was already bursting with the holiday spirits.... then once in the malls - and i mean all of them, and it is Xmas, Xmas, Xmas!!! as if they wanted to skip Halloween altogether (albeit i did see at least a couple of store windows decorated lamely for Halloween....

All U Need for XMas 2010!!! XMAS Section @ SM Mega Mall

XMas Stalls @ Greenhills Shopping Center

Poinsettias For Sale for that early holiday Spirits in your homes...

and to top is all off, I was listening to the radio when The Jackson 5's "Someday at XMas" came on.... WHOAH!!! XMas song in mid OCT!!!

it's the little things.... (JULY 2010)

aaah... was feeling a bit down as I was missing IFDC again this year.... but with all that has been going on personally, it was just not in the cards for me to TREK to Las Vegas and be with some friends and enjoy the convention... instead, Ito contend with hearing about it all from friends.... and admiring all their photos...

Still, I have to say that "Life is STILL Sweet!" I instead over the last few days had my own fun seeing friends.... hanging out with Jason & Todd... taking a side trip with The Wus... and of course, attending the Toy Festival with the girls.... there is not much I can say - no words can describe the feelings except "it's TRULY the little things that makes the difference in life..." So instead of boring you with more ramblings - I will just let the photos speak for themselves...

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3 out of 6 - halfway there... (July 7th)
Hi.Life with Todd & Jason after a BIIIG meal from Wo Jia Niu Pai (July 8th)

Friday @ Fridays with Juliana (July 9th)

Taipei Toy Festicval with the Girls (July 10th)

Day trip with The Wus (July 11th)

...and of course, seeing an entry of mine on 365 Project, as one of the popular ones for the day...

Happy 4th of July All!!!

"Liberty, Equality & Justice For All"

May You All Have a Great, Fun & most especially SAFE Holiday Weekend!!!

"Freedom is what you do with what has been done to you."

Bench Uncut - The Show

Been GOOGLING for the much anticipated Bench Fashion Show - BENCH: UNCUT 2010 - that took place last nite.... so far all that I have seen are not sooo good except for this one.... Highlight on young actor/IDOL, Enchong Dee who once had a promising career as an Olympian Swimmer for the Philippines.... from what I know he has since given it up for the fame and fortune of being in the showbiz industry... and is actually making quite a name for himself the last couple of years... and seeing this UPLOAD from last nite's show - I feel he is TRULY going places....

Enchong Dee Links:

-On WIKI

-Enchon Dee World Twitter

-Fan Group

Happy Father's Day To All Dads!!!!

for some of us - myself included, this is the most fitting way to give tribute to our Dads....

"He didn't tell me to live; he lived and let me watch him do it."

~Clarence Budington Kelland

The What, Where & When of the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival

WHAT: The boat races during the Dragon Boat Festival are traditional customs to attempts to rescue the patriotic poet Chu Yuan. Chu Yuan drowned on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in 277 B.C. Chinese citizens now throw bamboo leaves filled with cooked rice into the water. Therefore the fish could eat the rice rather than the hero poet. This later on turned into the custom of eating tzungtzu (rouzhong or sticky rice) and rice dumplings.The Best & Worst Part of Chinese Dragon Boat Festival: The season for the YUMMY STICKY RICE.... I always end up eating way too much.... waaaah!!!

The celebration's is a time for protection from evil and disease for the rest of the year. It is done so by different practices such as hanging healthy herbs on the front door, drinking nutritious concoctions, and displaying portraits of evil's nemesis, Chung Kuei. If one manages to stand an egg on it's end at exactly 12:00 noon, the following year will be a lucky one.

The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated by boat races in the shape of dragons. Competing teams row their boats forward to a drumbeat racing to reach the finish end first.


WHEN: The Dragon Boat Festival is a lunar holiday, occurring on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (that is today this year -- June 16th, 2010)

WHERE: The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is a significant holiday celebrated in China, and all over the world where there are people of Chinese origins.

Happy Chinese Dragon Boat Festival

+ 1....

....Another BDay - Another Year Older.... never mind the getting older part - i can only hope that am at least a year wiser.... hahahahahaha

Got up a little after 5AM today... not really sure why.... am having a bit of anxieties - not really about my BDay, I do not think... not really sure what it is... nothing major planned for the day - if all goes well, today's agenda should look like this: "Donate Blood... Go To Church.... Eat a Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Cheese from BK.... Work a Bit..... Run.... & see "Sex In The City 2"..."

so we will see.....

am late...am late....

...in greeting you all a HAPPY EASTER - and am so very sorry about that.... was down south, Kaohsiung, visiting with The Wus from Friday till today, Monday the 6th.... did not have much INTERNET time while down there - so I was not able to UPDATE and BLOG...

No Easter Egg hunt, no Picnics.... but overall, the trip was nice and relaxing.... fun with Laifu and the nephews.... ATE a LOT (as always).... and enjoyed WU Papa's beautiful garden, and Wu Mama's funny antics.... Tried going to church Easter Sunday but strangely enough, the one that I wanted to go to was closed... LOL, closed on Easter Sunday!!! that was a first for me....

Guess my only complain was the trip back up to Taipei.... what should have been a 6HR journey actually took us 11HRS!!! Needless to say am tired, so will be logging off and going to sleep now.... just wanted to drop off this BELATED EASTER GREETING.... hope you all had a nice Easter Celebration...

Taipei Toy Festival 2010

Set your calendars and make way for 2010's Taipei Toy Festival!!! Happening in July for 4 consecutive days - the 8th thru the 11th...If it's anything like 2009's Taipei Toy Festival - then it will be another MUST SEE, MUST EXPERIENCE, oh-so-much FUN Event - filled with toy designer/artists from all over the world... meet n greet... exhibitions.... and yeah TOYS to add to the collection!!!

SEE YOU THERE!!!

Earth Hour Coming Up

Be sure to mark your calendars for Earth Hour - happening on March 27th, 2010 @ 8:30PM... millions of people all over the world will be turning off their lights for an hour on this day - this action is "to stand up, to take responsibility, to get involved and lead the way towards a sustainable future."

Right now you can enjoy and support Earth Hour by making your own personalized Lantern that symbolizes hope and your support for a sustainable future. It is FUN & EASY (see mine at left)and you can do it here: Earth Hour Virtual Lantern -

Lantern Festival 2010

One of the BEST Festivals/Holidays celebrated in Taiwan has got to be the Annual Lantern Festival! One beautiful float of creative lanterns (all lit up!), after another, are on display for all spectators to revel in. Each year, the festival focuses the welcoming of the current Lunar Year Sign - this year is the Year of the Tiger. So most of the exhibit on displays are on this theme - Tigers in all forms are celebrated.

This year also focused on the upcoming International Floral Exhibition that will be held in Taipei come Nov 6th thru April 25th, 2011. So along with the many incarnations of the Tiger, floats after floats of were devoted in the promotion of the upcoming International Event. An exhibition of some of the countries participating in the event were on hand, led by Macau.. each country diorama consists of a mini recreation of a particular site that defines the country, surrounded by the country's National Flower, and a little blurb about each nation. For someone who has the TRAVEL BUG like me, it was definitely eye catching!!! I spent a long time just admiring each diorama...

COMPLETE PHOTOS HERE

such a beautiful nite...

...with cool temperature to boot!!! the better to take a stroll and take in the site...

and admire all the creative floats for this year's Lantern Festival....

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Last Days of Chinese NY!

Last couple of days of Chinese NY was spent just roaming around Kaohsiung.... got to visit my most fave Kaohsiung mall, DREAM MALL... watch a few festival shows... Visit Jason at his work place and got to eat their TASTY food for the 2nd time.... and had a BLAST watching Liya & Xiao Pang do the Trampoline Jump.... probably the HIGHLIGHT of the Chinese New Year for us...

It was TRULY wonderful and entertaining to see XIAO PANG, full of enthusiasm and energy - harnessed on, going up and down, and trying his BEST to do the revolutions mid air... though he was not successful, you could tell that he had a blast - and for that matter, so did we all, just from watching his childhood enthusiasm....

Complete Photos Here

always the dancing fool...

More Chinese NY Happenings:

The 2nd Day of the New Year, Xiao Pang even came to Kaohsiung with his parents for a couple of days of fun.... right away he took a liking to the dogs, Lala & Ah Bao - so it was NON STOP FUN seeing him play with them... running around after them was tiring but indeed, fun....

Later on, after lunch, we all walked over the Cultural Center - a 15 minute walk - as they always have loads of fun stuff going on for the Chinese New Year... and just in time, as Taiwan's Aboriginal Dance Troupe had an hour show happening.... dances from the different aboriginal tribes of Taiwan was represented, plus a take on NOBODY & SORRY, SORRY (Korean POP songs)... and lo and behold, they had a DANCE CONTEST part where they took people from the audience to participate... Of course, the entire Wu Clan practically pushed me up the stage - hahahahahaha - and I suddenly I found myself up there, being interviewed & following the dance steps to one of Taiwan's "Tai Ke" dances, as it was instructed right on the spot... Never too shy to dance my ass off, I just went for it and danced away.... at the end of the 5 minute (seems like forever) routine - the audiences had to VOTE who did the BEST... I was rooting for the little boy next to me - but oh well, I WAS THE ONE!!!
you can just IMAGINE how red my face was at this point... and then after a few more Q&A, I was giver my HONG BAO (red envelope) Prize... in it was a bunch of COUPONS to be used at the Fair... I almost handed it over to the boy next to me but then I remembered XIAO PANG was with us - so instead I gave it all to him, HAPPILY!!!

Later on, they troupe did another roundup of people in the audience to dance a typical aboriginal "get-together" dance... and of course, I was the FIRST RECRUIT again!!! Oh well.... this time around I made sure I was not the only victim, I dragged Jason to join in on the fun... it was a FUN TIME had by all - and now and again, I really do not mind making a fool of myself for my friends & family's entertainment...

MORE PHOTOS HERE

Chinese NY II - Temple Hopping

The first day of the New Year according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar was spent mostly visiting various temples all around Kaohsiung - Wu mama and Wu Papa's most favourite past times.. hoping and praying for Good Fortunes and Great Health...

Of Course it was not all about PRAYING, we also got to spent some time just wandering about Kaohsiung's sites... a walk by the LOVE RIVER HARBOUR is especially beautiful at nite, with all the revelers, music blasting, and so much lights adorning and lighting up the area....

MORE PHOTOS HERE

Happy Chinese New Year 2010

Just wanted to wish you all a HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR in your parts of the world... according to some friends who knows a thing or two about Chinese Horoscopes, this new year is supposed to be a better one for all - economically and all... here's hoping the Year of the Tiger will be a BLESSED one for us all... full of Love, Great Health & Good Fortune...

In Kaohsiung now, spending the New Year with The Wus - a yearly TRADITION when am in Taiwan... of course the first day is spent hanging out with the family, meeting the new doggie (AH-BAO - who is now able to walk!); playing with Lala, doing the Chinese NY ritual of offering food to the Gods, praying, and EATING, EATING, EATING!!!

After dinner, the nite was spent on Wu Papa's PRIDE & JOY - the roof top - playing Chinese Checkers, watching the variety shows, and EATING some more!!! We try to last the nite through, till at least 12AM to properly welcome the New Year according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar.
MORE PHOTOS HERE

charging on....

Monday the 4th... flying back to Taiwan.... Back to Life... Back to Work.... Back to Reality!!!