a Bun in the Oven... weeeeiiiiiii.............

Lyn stopped by earlier this afternoon and surprised me with her baby's SONOGRAM photos.... just TOO CUTE and TOO COOL!!! I mean I have many nieces and nephews already but never did I ever, get to see one of these in person.... NO I HAVE - and IT GAVE ME SUCH A WONDERFUL BLAST OF EXCITEMENT!!! So wonderful to see the baby - all 5cm of it... to see the profile and all... just AMAZING!!! No word yet if it's a boy or a girl - I think that happens next month... not that it should matter as it is BLESSING enough to have one on the way.... and Lyn & Shaun pretty much would be just as happy with either one....

A BIIIG CONGRATULATIONS to Shaun & Lyn for the baby... so far so good... the Doctor gave her TWO THUMBS UP !!!

it's over.... FINALLY!!!

Just after midnite.... and we just got home from the Beitou Hotspings where we were treated by Lyn and Shaun for helping out their FINAL WEDDING RECEPTION Banquet.... Am pretty positive we are all in agreeament in being GLAD is is all Finally over... really over.... LOLS!!!!
Reception Photos Here!

here comes the bride... and groom.... AGAIN!!!

yep, yep.... the event we were making all those truffles for.... the one that got me busy with flowers pretty much all day yesterday.... Lyn & Shaun's wedding reception is TODAY!!!
This is the third (and last!), reception for the weeding.... mostly for the couples Taipei colleagues who were not able to come to the Nantou and Kahsiung receptions.... what was supposed to be about 50 people, quickly went up to 100, then 150... at last count, it will be 17 tables of 10... so 179!!! YIKES!!!

anyway, it will be at 12 noon today, Sat the 28th.... but of course, we need to be there at least by 10AM to get all the decor out.... which means, we will be pretty much, all too occupied, today....

Wedding Rituals 101

The whole 3 day event was soooo overwhelming for me - not only witnessing, but being a part of my very first Chinese Wedding... which is weird having grown up in San Francisco where many of my Chinese friends did marry -- but alas, Western style so it did not prepare me for what was to come....

Nothing so earth shattering though, it was just one ritual after another -- and for a while there, it seemed like it was never ending... amd from talking with the Bride and Groom in between it all, they too, could not wait for the whole thing to be over with...

Wondering how I was going to BLOG this - not wanting for it too be as long as the wedding itself, I thought, the BEST way was to just do the PHOTO ESSAY for the events... so pls follow each links to the various albums - uploaded sequentially and here;'s hoping you will feel that you were witnessing it all in person - just as I was for the first time...
WEDDING ALBUM #1
The Groom arrives in Kaohsiung to take the Bride from her parents' home to his home in Nantou. The Groom offers his gifts to the parents, the parents give their blessing and dowry to the Bride & Groom...

WEDDING ALBUM #2
The Bride arrives in Nantou, the Groom's home... is welcomed by the Groom's family with some rituals, offerings, and blessings... The ACTUAL WEDDING and EXCHANGING of VOWS takes place...

WEDDING ALBUM #3
A Couple of Hours Break - spent at the Nantou Museum for a bit of relaxation and Photo Shooting.

WEDDING ALBUM #4
Reception Dinner in Nantou - given by the Groom''s family, and attended mostly by the Groom's family and friends...

WEDDING ALBUM #5
Back In Kaohsiung for the BIG EVENT, given by the Bride's family. Over 400 guests, mostly the Bride's family and friends -- the party is almost a whole day's event.

An Afternoon Break @ Nantou Museum

In between Wedding Rituals... took a bit of a couple of hours break and headed up the hills from Shaun's home, to one of Nantou's Museums, Bair Tsang - I, for some photo shooting...

The museum is dedicated to local artists who sculpts using local products such as wood and metal... the Museum pieces had toured worldwide and is one of the city's pride and joy...

The founder and curator, and artist himself, was kind enough to open up for us privately for some photo shooting as the place is just grand and surrounded by beautiful sceneries -- perfect for some really beautiful wedding shots... oka, okay, by a professional anyway... the ones in the ALBUM are just the ones I snapped....It was a great way to spend a 2 Hour break before the Exchanging of the Vows commenced....

Click Here for More Photos

The Wedding Madness Ensues...

Tonite around midnite, we drive to Kaohsiung -- wedding gowns, decorations, Bride & Groom, etc., in tow... It will be a 3 day weekend long exchanging of vows and Chinese Rituals... as the schedule stands, Thurs will be filled with last minute preparations... Friday is for Exchanging of Vows in Nantou -- Shaun's familial place... Saturday is the biiiig event in Kaohsiung (with over 400 Guests!!!) -- Lyn's family home... and Sunday, the rest of the Rituals... again, that is how the schedule stands -- who knows what will actually happen when the time comes... Exciting and Nerve Wracking, if you ask me... and am not even the Groom nor the Bride... LOLs!!!

So that is our upcoming weekend schedule -- Hope you are all having a GREAT start of the New Year!!!
One of the many photos taken for the Wedding Invitations

Friday Nite Funnies

Last nite was spent helping Shaun cover up his white hair, while David makes us LASAGNA for dinner -- still in preparations for the wedding...

I have not done this in quite some time now.... not even with my own hair.. so it was quite funny... took me back to my High School / College days when friends and I would get together once a month and do an all niter session of coloring hair each other's hair...

Okay, so that's another thing to check off my list, of things I can do to help with the wedding...

cOoKiEs - Wedding Preps Continues...

Wednesday the 17th was spent shopping for - I LOVE THIS PART - COOKIES!!!

Over the years living in Taiwan, I would sometimes be surprised with cookies delivered in some of the fanciest packaging ever... all sorts of shapes, colors, designs, and material... most of the time, the packaging are a whole lot better than the cookies in them... I have come to know that this is a custom for the Chinese that the bride to be's closest friends will be given these Western Style cookies... and this past Wednesday, I had the pleasure accompanying Lyn and Shaun in search of the perfect ones to give away to Lyn's closest friends...

We headed on to Wen Li St in the Shilin District of Taipei - a long street that is really cookie heaven... Shop after shop devoted to catering to the bride to be's cookie needs... and I have come to realized, it is quite a big industry this whole thing is...

I so enjoyed all the choices... was sooo hard to really choose as I was excited by sooo many of them... Louis Vuitton looking bags.... apple shaped containers.... antique style Chinese carrying case... etc.... if I could have it my way, I would have opted for an assortment of choices -- a different one for each different friend... but of course, as we all know far too well, in business quantity dictates the purchase price... and I suppose, it is BEST that everyone gets the same one so as there is no jealousy whatsoever...

So we are now down to two styles to choose from, now it is up to the final pricing from a couple of places to make the final decision... I cannot wait to see as for sure, I will be getting one... LOLs!!!

Fell in love with this cookie jar, Limited Release to welcome the upcoming Year of the Ox! Another MUST HAVE!!! More Photos Here: COOKIES!

Wedding Gown Blues

The morning was spent shopping for "this and that" - things needed for the wedding... a quickie lunch @ MOS Burger, and then off to pick out gowns for Lyn...I must say, as exciting as it is to go through countless of gowns - both wedding and evening gowns - to pick the right ones (we needed 2 White Wedding Gowns and 5 Evening Gowns), it is just as tiring and frustrating...
The Wu Siblings shop for NEIKU (undies)!!

A tired Bride to be, a frustrated Groom to be, and Director brother.

Of course, it was a lot of fun for David, Liya and I - as we just need to pull gowns after gowns for Lyn to try on... but for Lyn and Shaun - it must have been really trying as they just do not have that much time to spare... Good thing we were actually all in agreement for the most part... so 4 hours later and numerous gown changes we chose what Lyn will be wearing for the pre wedding photoshoot (very romantic clooks), and for the actual wedding (sexy and glitz galore!)...

Liya & I even found time to goof around in between gowns.

As a THANK YOU and a SURPRISE for us helping through the day -- Shaun took us all to see the MAYDAY's concert -- one of Taiwan's Premier College Bands... a nice way to end a very tiring day...

-SHOPPING PHOTO ALBUM

and so it begins....

Last nite, I accompanied Lyn & Shaun check out a couple of places for the wedding ensembles.... I never knew how time consuming and frustrating something like this is... I thought, you go in, you talk price, agree, and then the fun begins -- you try on the clothes... WRONG!!!

First place we went to, the negotiations went on for over 4 hrs... and still came to no fruition... at least, the 2nd place, armed with what we already know from the previous pone, went smoother and faster.. It helped that Lyn's colleagues used them for their own wedding a couple of years ago... with that accomplished, we go back in this afternoon to start trying on dresses and hopefully pick them out -- a wedding gown plus 3 other wardrobe changes...

Today we will be joined by David and Liya, who is back from England for a couple of months... 4 differing opinions at play -- this should be a fun afternoon... LOLS!!!!

Excitement & Craziness

So most Catholic and Western people I know whose marriage is dampen by a Death in the Family has to CANCEL or MOVE their wedding to a different, later date... but for the Chinese, the Belief is that a couple must be married within 100 days of a family member's death... As Shaun's father very recently passed away, the countdown begins for his wedding with Lyn (David's sister)-- couple this with the belief that The Year of the OX is not a good time for marriages (seems it is considered an unlucky year to get married)-- what usually takes a year in planning will have to be done before the Chinese NY (3rd week of JAN)! Hence, all the craziness and excitement going on in our household at this time....

This will be an AMAZING feat to accomplish as basically it will be three celebrations: one in Nantou (Shaun's familial home); Kaohsiung (Lyn's); & Taipei - where they both now resides and most of their colleagues and friends are....Now factor in the Feng Shuei part of the whole thing - where one needs to consult with the fortune tellers to see which dates in that little time frame, are good for each of the rituals: family engagement, wedding ceremonies/banquet in the three places, etc... and all the running about trying to get everything accomplish and done: wedding gowns, photo shoots, catering, etc... Let's not forget WORKING throughout all these preparations...

I myself, would just run to the nearest CITY HALL and get it over with -- but if anyone can make this HAPPEN, I know THEY CAN!!! They are two of the KINDEST & SMARTEST people I know... and Lyn is one of the most AMAZING women I have ever met -- very Dedicated, Diligent, and most of all, ORGANIZED... if you meet her you will be able to tell right away that she is totally one of those POWER WOMEN who knows how to take charge and be in control - FAIRLY, mind you...

For our part, David & I, are here to lend support... in any way we can... first up for me is to go WEDDING GOWN shopping this weekend... that should be FUN! This is actually my FIRST REAL CHINESE WEDDING to ATTEND - you know am EXCITED!!!!

LOTSA LUCK & LOTSA LUV Shaun & Lyn!!!!

at long last...

....a new COMPUTER!!!! okay, it is not a MAC AIR or Mac Book...but really no matter... it is MINE and I LOVE IT!!!

Actually just an HP ELITE BOOK 2530P laptop... means nothing to me except that, it is FAST and easy for me to use... plus since it is a laptop, i now have the luxury of typing in bed... like now!!!! Still learning the ropes with this one... plus still, have many software to UPLOAD.... he (my computer is manly, of course!) is lite so will travel really, really well... the only drawback for me is that it has a built in WEB CAM - TEMPTATION, get thee away from me... am told that this is Business person's type of laptop -- so I might have to withhold doing YM, cam to cam.... HAHAHAHAHAHA....One of my roomies, SHAUN, who has connections got me this HP for less than HALF the going price.... Boy, working for the leading Taiwan newspaper really has their benefits... they get the BEST DEALS!!! As an added bonus - since it is almost XMAS, it came with this mini XMAS tree that has a USB connection and when plugged in, lites up in all it's XMAS GLORY! FUN!!!
So for now, I will not be having COMPUTER BLUES - I HOPE!!!!

Yilan Outing

Saturday, the 18th of Oct. we decided to take a trip to City Of Yilan - just to look around...check out the different scenic spots, and of course some of the town's delicacies.... normally it would have taken an hour and a half or two hour drive from Taipei... With the newly constructed and opened tunnel through the mountains - it is not under an hour.... we had a late start so of course, the first stop was to hunt down some local delicacies... a bit of a late lunch / early dinner.... and that WE DID!!!
After satisfying our tummies, we drove on to satisfy our eyes... we decided to drive a bit more to the town of Jiaosi and hike up the mountains to view the famous Waterfalls - Wufongci (5 Peak-Flag)Falls It is the oldest and most famous scenic attraction in Jiaosi... and got it's name from the 5 peaks that line the background of the waterfall which look like a flag from afar.... Within the Peak is the St. Mary's Church and Villa Located at the top of Wufongci Scenic Area, St. Mary's Villa is considered by Catholic pilgrims as a sacred place. Legend has it that, Mother Mary once appeared to 5 climbers in the St. Mary's Pavilion here helping them to safely descend the mountain. In order to remember and pay gratitude to Mother Mary, an outside Grotto with a statue of her was erected on the side of the pavilion.
After the hike and with the sun having set already, we drove down to the town center, which is running amok with Hot Springs, after Hot Springs... this MUST be the Hot Springs capital of Taiwan...The Jiaosi Hot Springs won their fame early on during the Qing Dynasty when they were known as the "Tangwei Hot Springs", and were selected by Wu, Jhu-Fan, the Qing Dynasty Kavalan Magistrate, as one of the "8 most scenic spots in Yilan". On this crowded weekend, we were LUCKY enough to have been able to at least, soak our tired feet to some really soothing Hot Springs... Across the street from where we soaked our feet, Fried Tofu and Bing Tahui was calling us... the laoban (owner) was soooo kind, and must have taken a liking to us, we were treated to a lot of freebies... I seem to think that he wanted us to sit there as long as we can in order to attract more people to sit and dine.. and it worked as more and more people came... the laoban also took his time to chat up with us... told us some town history and told us of the many places to check out, and best hot springs to go to... notes for when we return, and he is so sure we will....

Heading on to the nite market for some more delicacies before heading back to Taipei, we came across a bakery super crowded with people -- we of course, had to pop in and check out all the commotions... and we were treated to some really nice Cold Tea and slices of different muffins and sweets... all courtesy of the shop... SUPER NICE and GENEROUS shop.... all in all, the township of Jiaosi, we have concluded, is a very KIND and GENEROUS town....

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!!!!