Aaaaah Youth!

The time spend last weekend with Shaun's family in the Nantou County, made such an impression on me... most especially Jeff/Ben/Winner -- lovingly referred to as, Xiao Pang...

Meeting & hanging out with Xiao Pang made me appreciate and think back a whole lot to my childhood... and being young....
-A time when one does not care so much about many things that troubles us in our adulthood... things such as Politics, Religions, Sexual Orientation, Status, Brand Names, Skin Colors, etc....
-A time when we all feel, for the most part, INVINCIBLE -- that we can climb trees, walls, and other heights and no harm can come to us....
-A time when we just say whatever it is that comes to mind and nothing will be misconstrued -- as all will be relegated to naiveness, curiosity, or just plain, Youth!
-A time when we need not worry about responsibilities, getting a job, raising a family, giving back to the community, fitting into our own niche in the world...
-A time where play time rules our daily life... friends and toys matters the most.... as well as, our favorite chocolates, snacks and of course, Saturday morning cartoons....

Oh how I MISS those times.... and yes, though am happy with where I am in my life right now, for the most part anyway, I still think it would be so cool if I can just relieve the HAPPY TIMES, even for just a little while... Alas, we all know that is not possible unless we live in a dream world... or the world of movie magic....

Oh Well, I do still have my precious memories... and I HOPE they never, ever fade away -- as our Youth Fades, in due time....
A Bit of Fun with Xiao Pang!

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3 on Youth!

“An inordinate passion for pleasure is the secret of remaining young”
-Oscar Wilde

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”
-Sophia Loren

“In youth we learn; in age we understand.”
- Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach

...almost....

...but almost doesn't count!!...met this cutie over the weekend... this BEAGLE PUP is only 2 months old!!!
HE WAS SOOOOO PLAYFUL....
i was able to play with him for half an hour - till we had to leave.... I think he could sense that I was really into him, so he just kept playing and licking me....

how I wish I could have taken him home with me....

Spur Of The Moment Part 2

Saturday, Oct 11th
With a WONDERFUL nite, came restful sleep -- needless to say we got up early Saturday morning feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.... David and I , while our company still sleeps, decided to take a walk around the neighborhood and take in the FRESH air... what a great idea as we were able to enjoy the FRESH MORNING AIR.... walking around to complete silence and no cars or scooters for a couple of hours... happen upon fields and fields of all sorts of fruits... -- Dragon Eyes, Papayas, lemons, Lycees, & Grapes...
Later on we were joined by Lyn, Shaun & his family and we drove about and visited the surrounding towns and got to see so much more of what's around Nantou County... in particular, JIJI County... a quaint little town that's been used to some of Taiwan's popular soap operas... one of them I even watched - so it was a treat to see where it was filmed... of course, we ate some more and tried all the local delicacies.. relaxed for a bit... played badminton with Xiao Pang... hung out... and just totally relaxed....

Later that nite, we all went to the town's hottest and biggest nite market for some food and a bit of fun... Xiao Pang's wishes finally came true as we all had MONGOLIAN BBQ -- the only thing he kept telling us to try all weekend long.... though very oily, it was not a bad recommendation at all... it was tasty and filling.... after that we walked around some more and enjoyed the different booths offering a variety of things... played some games - and even did the BUMP car thing with Xiao Pang - mind you, no one was allowed to bump other cars... if you do, you get kicked out... hmmmm - wonder why they still called it Bump Cars???

Over all it was a great get-away weekend -- we enjoyed everything and everyone's company so much that we are already planning our next visit... in DEC, when grape harvesting season begins....

Xiao Hai: Portrait of an Aboriginal Dog

One of the most interesting thing I learned during our trip this weekend is the 411 on Taiwan's Aboriginal dogs... All these times I have seen this type of dogs running around the parks or by the river where we run, watching over private lands and homes - never would I have thought that they were purebred doggies... I always just assume they are your typical street dogs... But having visited Shaun's family home in Nantou and getting to see and know their dog, Xiao Hai -- I got to learn more about his kind -- and boy was I wrong!!! Now it makes sense to me why they are very territorial, aloof, and commanding looking but not at all in very threatening ways....
This N That about Xiao Hai's Breed:
The Formosan Mountain Dog, commonly referred to as simply Formosan, and also known as Taiwan Native Dog (臺灣土狗) is a breed of dog indigenous to Taiwan. Originally kept by aboriginal Taiwanese as hunting dogs, purebred Formosans are extremely rare. Blood tests showed that they were related to dogs found in Southern Japan and that they were descendants of the South Asian Hunting Dog.

Little known outside of Taiwan, Formosans are recognized with a pedigree from the Taiwan Kennel Club and the International Canine Organization. They are well adapted to the uneven and thickly forested terrain of Taiwan, having become a semi-wild breed prior to the arrival of human Dutch settlers. Notwithstanding these adaptations, Formosans retained the potential to be trained, and are now used as hunting dogs, as guard dogs, as stunt dogs, or simply as companions.

Though one can see them just running wild and free, now and again, at parks or river banks -- Purebred Formaosans can go for upwards of US$1000 each...

FUN FACT About Doggie Names in Taiwan:
For some reason, maybe lack of IMAGINATION, most of the of the dogs in Taiwan are caller, Xiao Hai, Xiao Bai or Xiao Huang (Little Black, Little White or Little Yellow respectively)... they really like to precede names with Xiao -- even when the dogs are hardly on the small side.

Spur Of The Moment Part 1

Friday October 10th, as I had mentioned on the last entry is a National Holiday for the whole Island of Taiwan... Not only is DAVID off, so are Lyn and Shaun -- and with nothing much planned on our plates, we all decided to take the 3 hour ride to the Eastern part of Taiwan and visit Shaun's family home... I have heard stories about the area and his family but never had the opportunity to go see... so we packed up lite and by 1 PM we were on our way.... We had a pit stop, okay food stop in Fongyuan (Taijung Hsien District) a quaint little area which is frequented by people from all over... they come here for the market with soooo much selections of delicacies plus cute little knick knacksshops, of course.... We stopped for a bite to eat and opted for a couple of delicacies.... walked around a bit and then, continued on with our journey - as we had another half hour to go to get to Shaun's house....

After half an hour of winding roads... up and down highways, we reached our destination - Nantou County.... Shaun's 3 storey home is pretty typical of the houses I have seen so far in Taiwan -- biiig, spacey, and full of things..... met his dog Xiao Hai (Little Black) which am told is a typical Taiwan style dog... he is not threatening but he does not like to be touched by anyone but Shaun... oh well, no doggie playing time there.... Introductions were made, and we got to meet his Dad, Mom, younger brother and his 7 year old nephew who goes by three English names: Ben, Jeff & WInner -- LOLs -- he is possibly the cutest, smartest, most adorable 7 year old I have even come to meet in Taiwan... He is fat and he knows it but he is lovable fat - not annoying fat... if you know what I mean... Anyway, he must have taken an instant liking to me, as we, according to him, are XIONGDI (brothers) -- right off the bat.... from then on through the rest of the trip, he insists on sitting next to me in car rides, holding my hands everywhere we went, and talking endlessly to me even though he new half of what he is saying I did not understand... LOLs....

That night, we were treated to a CLASSICAL Concert in the beautiful Shueishe Wharf, (Sun Moon Lake area) -- as one of Shaun's business contacts just happened to be the one handling the PR for the concert held in conjunction with the Double 10 City Celebration.... Classical Music... Operatic Singers... Fireworks.... New Found Friends... Oh What a Way to End the Nite!!!!

Double 10

Double Ten Day (traditional Chinese: 雙十節; pinyin: Shuang Shi Jie) is also known as the Chinese National Celebration Day. It celebrates the start of the Wuchang Uprising of October 10, 1911, that led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty.

Needless tpo say it is a National Holiday In Taiwan... and different events (Political Rallies, Concerts, Family Outings) are happening all over the Island... The official celebration starts with raising of the flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in front of the Presidential Building, followed by public singing of the National Anthem. It is then followed by celebrations in front of the Presidential Building, including a military parade (the military parade was not held from 1992 to 2006, to ease cross strait tensions). Later in the day, the President of Taiwan addresses the country and fireworks displays are held throughout the major cities of the island.

This Holiday is also celebrated by Overseas Chinese all over the world.
The Streets of Taipei are lined with the country's flags all month long in observance of this Holiday!

Pukii : Who Wants One?

(Pukii Collectibles and the Life Size Pukii that GREETS the bankers!)
A couple of years ago I came across this giant AD for Shanghai Commercial Bank - boasting a cute little PINK Pig named Pukii -- it cracked me up sooo much as Pukii in the Filipino language means the female genital... cracked me up even more when I realized that the Pukii character is MALE!!! LOLs!!!

Well, a couple of years later and Pukii is even BIGGER than EVER!!! He has been such a HIT for the Shanghai Commercial Bank that they have expanded Pukii's family... and have used Pukii not just for their television commercials and print ads but even in their actual bank branches' decor...


The banks have been converted to PUKII Havens... the ATM sections have been turned all PINK with Life Sized Pukiis to greet customers.... Pukii Collectibles are displayed in grand cases... they are available for viewing (and purchasing, too -- am sure!)

Am not a BIIIIG FAN of the color PINK, but this is one PINKNESS I can take... just waaay too cute -- so cute that we now have an account with this bank - LOLs.... and we all know we can never have enough CUTENESS in our lives....

"LOOK! even the ATM Machines are all PUKII pink!!!"


One of the CUTE TV Commercial with Pukii & Family!!!

Have you flashed someone today???

With a SMILE, that is!!!
======
"how many times we are feeling so down, or frustrated, or unwanted -- then out of nowhere we get a smile form someone we know, a love one, a friend, family, even a strager -- and automatically our mood changes..."

SMILE - a SIMPLE gesture indeed... but it is one of the most POWERFUL & APPRECIATED one...
-it is FREE to GIVE & RECEIVE...

"A Smile a day, keep the Blues away."

...so make someone smile - simply, by giving them a smile....
===================================================================
SMILE:
NOUN:
1. A facial expression characterized by an upward curving of the corners of the mouth and indicating pleasure, amusement, or derision.
2. A pleasant or favorable disposition or aspect.

VERB:
smiled , smiling , smiles
VERB:
intr.
1. To have or form a smile.

1. To look with favor or approval: Fortune smiled on our efforts.
2. To express cheerful acceptance or equanimity: We smiled at the bad weather and kept going.

VERB:
tr.

1. To express with a smile: Grandmother smiled her consent.
2. To effect or accomplish with or as if with a smile.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Middle English smilen, to smile, probably of Scandinavian origin; see smei- in Indo-European roots

OTHER FORMS:
smiler (Noun), smiling�ly (Adverb)

2 on HOPE!

Was taking to a good friend today (one I have not spoken with for quite some time - due to our busy scheds) about things... work really... and out of the whole conversation comes a ray of light - shining through... hope for new possibilities... don't want to JINX it but it reminded me of these two Quotes on HOPE that I totally agree with....“Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have.”

"Never let go of hope. One day you will see that it all has finally come together. What you have always wished for has finally come to be. You will look back and laugh at what has passed and you will ask yourself... 'How did I get through all of that?”

Red Cliff : Movie Review

I finally was able to see this movie, Red Cliff. I missed it when it first came out in Taiwan due to my travel schedule -- so am glad I was able to catch it when it hit the 2nd tier cinemas.... I could not pass up the chance as it is one movie that must really be seen in a BIIIIG SCREEN!!!

in the Grand Tradition of historical epic Chinese movies of late, this has got to be the grandest of them all... Rumoured to have had a budget of 80Million US$, it make sit the most Expensive Chinese produced movie in history... and seeing it in its glorious splendour - in the big screen - makes you realize why it costed so. The sets, the battle scenes, the CGIs, & the historical costumes are all top notch, over shadowing even, most of the Internationally known cast. And believe me, they are some of the HOTTEST and most POPULAR ASIAN stars of late. Takeshi Kenishiro (half Japanese/half Taiwanese Super Idol for many years now - WARLORDS, Chinking Express, etc..), Tony Leung (Happy Together, In The Mood, And Ang Lee's recent, Lust Caution), Zhao Wei (Shaolin Soccer, So Close), Chang Chen (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), & Chi Ling (Taiwan's Top Model in her movie debut -- I heard she is going Hollywood already!) - to name a few...
In my opinion the end result is worth every penny spent on its production. It is of note to say that the movie is directed by world renowned director, John Woo (Face Off)

Based on the historical novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the movie tells the story of the legendary Battle of Red Cliff from 208 A.D. that led directly to the end of the Han Dynasty. The movie btw is Part 1 of 2... the second one to come out Jan of 2009.

...messy weekend....

...in keeping with "out with the old, in with the new" theme... this weekend we decided to start cleaning house.... Boy, isn't it a WONDER - how we accumulate sooooo much in sooo little time??? and I mean SOOOO MUCH!!!

Every Chinese New Year - there is a 3 day period that we can actually go through our CRAP and select the ones we want to get rid off - big or small - and they get hailed off for free... as a service to the community... LOVE THIS!!! But this time we decided to get things done a little earlier... starting with all that we can recycle... give away.... or just plain throw out....

10 years of CDs... Books... Magazines.... and stuff I always say i will work on and "do something with"... but never gotten around to it due to time or maybe just lack of inspiration.... NO MATTER!!! everything must go -- so this weekend and the next few ones - am sure, will be dedicated to a lot of cleaning up....

I cannot tell you how LIBERATING it feels... having so much load taken off you.... now and again, you just gotta close your eyes and go for it... UNLOAD, UNLOAD, UNLOAD!!!!

Biological Doggie Clock Ticking

okay, okay.... lately am seriously contemplating again on getting a dog... am soooo missing having one to play with... run with... and everything else in between... been a long time since the pooch of my life, BAXTER, passed away.... over 10 years in fact... so I think it is just about the right time....
Of Late, I have had to settle with playing with other people's doggies... enjoying them when I visit... it satisfies the desires for the time - but of course, makes me want to have one that I can call my own more.... one who will be more LOYAL to me... hays, the only thing stopping me now really, is my travel schedule... I would HATE and FEEL SO GUILTY having to leave he doggie behind every month -- no matter how long or short the trip may be... I remember that the thing I was sad most with Baxter is that, hearing from the his sitter, that he (after a day of me being gone) always end up just waiting in front of the door for me to come home from a business trip... always broke my heart....
(Clockwise: Charlie, Youtiao, Shaq & Lala... Youtiao has since passed on and joined Baxter in doggie heaven...)
..and here's another cutie, Gucci- Ameera's Chihuahua - given to her on her 7th BDAY... Sadly - she also had passed on already... one of the sweetest pups ever.... loving but oh-so-fragile....

..and The Elcocks' Huskies, Cole & Sebastian (below).... two of the biggest, and most lovable dogs I have ever had the pleasure of playing with.... they are Alaskan Malemutes, to be precise.... (Thanks for the INFO Larraine and Brianne!!!)