Taiwan Immigration Update I

I'm going to start off this update with a picture of South Africa's new President. Jacob Zuma. You may notice that he's laughing. Well, considering how he escaped a very long prison sentence and somehow managed to climb up the political ladder to the pinnacle of power in SA, he has every reason to laugh. You may even think he's laughing at you. I'm sure, mostly he is. But today, he's laughing at me. And he's thinking, "Ah, my silly whitey. We want you to piss off, but before you go, we want to torture you some more."
You see, it seems the southern tip of Afrika will not release it's clutches unless it's given you an up the rear cavity search of a review of why you're immigrating. Just in case you forgot. Eish.

Three months ago I made the very inconvenient trip up to Taipei from Tainan to get my fingerprints taken (for my police clearance certificate) and to apply for a marital status certificate. The only two documents I need from South Africa. Thank all that's holy in this world!
I was ensured at length by one of the gentlemen there that the marital status wouldn't take longer than a month to six weeks at the most. It's been twice that and still no word.
Fortunately, I decided to delay sending my application for the police clearance as I suspected it would take longer due to elections, Easter and a myriad of public holidays and long weekends in South Africa during March and April. So, I sent it just over a month ago by registered airmail. This shouldn't have taken more than five to seven days to get to the Republic. However, almost four weeks after I'd sent it I get an e-mail from some woman in Alberton that says she's erroneously received my application papers in the post. I've checked the address and we definitely wrote it correctly on the envelope. How is this possible?

Now I need my aunt to go pick it up from this woman and then take it by hand to the Criminal records Bureau. As to the marital status certificate? Still no news. Perhaps that's also been lost in the post.
And all the while, JZ is laughing. Afrika. Is nice.

Taiwan Immigration

I don't think I've actually told anyone about this yet, but I'm planning to apply for Taiwanese citizenship. In fact, I've already started the process. This, like most visa processes on this fabulous island, is fraught with hurdles, mis-communication, rumour and more communication problems. Also, there are very few resources available online regarding how to do this, or folks who have done it. This is especially so regarding South Africans. North Americans and Brits have an easier time getting info, because there are more of them around. They are a useful starting point, but all things aren't the same for all nationalities, here and in your home country. This has been my journey so far.

For married South Africans (Married to a Taiwanese), the situation is as follows.

You need the following documents to apply for a Certificate of ROC Naturalization Candidature:
1. Application for Certificate of ROC Naturalization Candidature (including two photographs).
2. A legal and valid Alien Residence Certificate or Permanent Residence certificate.
3. An ARC certificate; this is a proof of residence certificate (3 years for JFRV holders, and 5 years for ARC holders) which is actually a piece of paper that you get from the NIA offices.
4. Certificate of arrival and departure dates (Household Registration - HHR - office applies for this on your behalf).
5. Police criminal record certificate issued by the South African Police Services. (Unless you have a JFRV, in which case you only need a police clearance from the Taiwanese police as you would've done that to get your JFRV)
6. Certificates of sufficient property or professional skills to be self reliant; which basically amounts to tax returns for the last year (although some websites say 3 years), obtainable through your employer or the tax offices. For more info on this, see Article 7 of the Enforcement Rules of Nationality Act.
7. Copy of Household registration with completed marriage registration (HHR office applies for this on your behalf).
7.1 If you got married in the ROC (as I did), you need to add a marital status certificate (a document issued by Home Affairs that states you are married, and to whom), translated into Chinese.
8. Certificate of basic language competency (test or 200 hours of sitting in classes). If you're going to do the test you need to apply for it beforehand, and they issue you with a booklet to prepare for it.
9. Certificate fee of NT$200.

Some notes on the above:
The SA Police Clearance certificate and you Marital Status certificate need to be authenticated by the Taipei Liaison Office in South Africa. The Taipei office has this to say about authentication:
1. The document must first be notarized by the High Court. The document must get Apostille - red sticker and green or pink ribbon.
2. It then needs to be authenticated at the Department of Foreign Affairs.
3. The Taipei Liaison Office in the RSA will then authenticate the documentation. Please note: should you be from Cape Town or Bloemfontein, these documents must be notarized by the High Court in Cape Town or Bloemfontein.
4. Authentication fee: R112
Working days: 2 - 3days

This is very inconvenient for the person in SA doing all the leg work for you so I called the Taipei Liaison office to confirm details. I spoke to a wonderful lady, Maya Du Rand, who said:
1. The fee for processing each document is R400 in Pretoria.
2. This fee (only in Pretoria - if you apply at other branches this doesn't apply to you and you have to do the leg work yourself) covers everything. She takes the documents to the High Court and the Dept. of Foreign Affairs to be authenticated and then she hands them in at the Taipei Liaison offices where they authenticate the documents for you.
3. Your "agent"/family member can come pick them up and they get sent to you from there. No mess, no fuss.

After you've successfully applied for the Certificate of ROC Naturalization Candidature you take that to the SA Liaison Office in Taipei and cancel your South African citizenship. With that document in hand you take all the above mentioned paperwork again (except the police clearance isn't necessary, unless you left the country in the interim, as they apply for a police clearance cert. from the Taiwanese police) and apply for Naturalization. After a year you apply for a Taiwanese ID Card, and Bob's your uncle.

I'm still in process, so I'll keep the blog updated on any unforseen details etc.

The Second Day of 2009!

Okay, some of you may remember this post I made back in August 2008, four months and change ago... It was a fitness challenge of sorts for four months. I challenge I failed dismally, not having actually done anything. Sadly, Fabian was the only one that called me on it as every time he saw me he commented, "I thought you'd quite smoking..." I would then mumble something about, "It's hard...um...still trying...um...", when the truth was I was just lazy and hadn't actually done anything.

So here we go again. Really, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. So far I'm a week into it and I've been keeping up with most of it. I've been exercising, I've cut back on the telly and internet, and I've not had a drop to drink all year!
Actually, the non-drinking is the easy part. I don't go out much if ever and so there really is no temptation. Also, I'm not the beer swilling in front of the TV kind of guy, and there's just something that smacks of the alcoholic about drinking at home alone. I'm much more of a social drinker, and with my current lifestyle (married with children) that pretty much takes care of that.

In order to stop wasting time in front of the telly and computer I've re-committed myself to my Chinese studies, so that's been an easy step also. And actually one I have been doing all along. I even enrolled at the local uni and I currently have weekly lesson with my old private tutor, Kevin.

It's just the smoking that I find challenging. However, even here I've made good progress. I've more than halved the amount I used to smoke, which has been helped by the move to our new apartment (lease with option to buy). I don't smoke in the house at all anymore, and not smoking in front of the TV or computer has made a massive difference.

I also feel that I don't need it as much anymore. Two other developments are sure top help me further. For the second time in six years the government is increasing tax on smokes, which in my opinion is going to make it prohibitively expensive. For me, anyway. I just can't see myself paying NT$70+ for a pack of Marlboro's. And the government has passed new anti smoking legislation that will come into effect on January 11th. They have effectively banned smoking in any public area (including social recreational areas like pubs and KTV's) where there are more than three people present. If caught, a fine of NT$10 000 will be levied. So I feel confident in that area, also.















So, on to the two critical components. The sharp end, if you will. Diet and exercise. I don't seem to eat much, yet I still retain way too much abdominal fat and fat overall. So I've had a critical look at my diet, especially what I consume outside of meals. Previously I committed the major sins of no breakfast (just coffee and a smoke, thanks) and eating a big meal late at night when I get home from work. As you may know, this presents a unique challenge in Taiwan. We (ESL teachers) don't work what you'd call a normal work day, or anything remotely approaching that. I usually get home around 10pm and then proceed to consume my main meal (and usually only meal) of the day! Not good!! During the day before and during work I consume vast quantities of coffee (with milk and two sugars, please) and tea with ... sugar. Obviously, there's nothing right there. Nothing at all.

So, I've changed my eating habits to include breakfast lunch and something between classes, and a light snack instead of a big meal when I get home. I've also given to avoid or minimise complex carbohydrates, or foods that are excessively refined. To the uninformed, this means things like rice, noodles and bread. Bread isn't a big deal in Taiwan, but almost everything includes either rice or noodles. So as not to confuse my diet with a high protein diet, what do I eat. Obviously, in the Land of Rice and Noodles, those two are practically unavoidable. Kind of like herpes in Thailand. So I'm basically eating proteins (including a post workout protein shake, later to be supplemented with creatine) with vegetables, and fruits, nuts and biltong (beef jerky) for snack food.
More importantly, I've drastically cut down on my coffee and tea drinking and I'm currently opting for plain old water. I think the eating is pretty much sorted and I'll see how it goes and tweak it here and there as necessary.

As to the exercising. This part is also going well. I started off with a one exercise per body part, 3 sets, 10-12 reps cycle. Currently I've divided my body between two workouts. Workout A: Legs, chest and biceps. Workout B: Triceps, shoulders and back. At the moment I'm just in the second week and still getting back into things, so I'm taking it easy. However, easy is relative. I've been out of it for so long that almost anything leaves me in a fair amount of discomfort the next day. I reckon this will get better after a few weeks. One thing is for certain, it feels good to get the flushed feeling again that weight training brings.

As I've basically just started I took my measurements again in order to compare in a months time, etc.
Weight - 86.6kg
Body fat - 28.5%
Neck - 40 cm
Shoulders - 131 cm
Chest - 110 cm
Upper Arm - (R) 32/34.5 cm (L) 33/35cm
Forearm - (R) 28 cm (L) 27 cm
Waist - 97 cm
Stomach - 101.5 cm
Thigh - (R) 54 cm (L) 55.5cm
Calf - (R) 41 cm (L) 41 cm

What I find odd is how my left arm and thigh are bigger than my right side. Especially seeing as I'm right handed. I'm also not sure if my body fat is truly that high, as it's a measurement from a medium priced electronic scale. Although I guess even if it's 5% off it's still way too high.
The other thing is, I once read that in order to be perfectly symmetrical your neck, upper arm and calf should have the same measurement. My calves and neck are about right at 41/41 cm, but my upper arms are sorely lacking. This is one area I'd like to address. My main concern is getting rid of abdominal fat, and I was shocked when I did squats today and my old weight belt wouldn't fit...

So, apart from the goals described in my previous post on the subject my main objectives are:
1 - Decrease abdominal fat
2 - Increase arm size
3 - Decrease overall body fat
4 - Achieve a weight of around 90kg
5 - Increase overall strength, endurance, flexibility and fitness.

Much better news than a few months ago, and it's much easier going now that I've actually gotten going.

The Last Day of 2008!

Guadiamus Igitur,
Nog n jaar is in sy ...

Yep, another year has gone the way of the Dodo and a new one is peaking around the corner. But this year is a little different than the last. The world is teetering on the brink of a depression, but the US has a new President. And all hope is pinned in him to fix the disaster looming ahead. Let's hope he can deliver. Personally, I've decided to be optimistic for once, despite my deep seated distrust of all politicians. Perhaps this one really will be different. And like it or not, the Americans have chosen for all of us, because if things don't improve soon, the top dog will drag us all down with it.
So, for the US and for us, it's out with the old and in with the new.

So, time for a few landmarks of the past year.

Bismarck's awards for 2008

Best animated movie

Kung Fu Panda (功夫熊貓)

Best movie

I am Legend (released Dec 2007 but I'm including it for 2008) and Iron Man share it for me. But I still haven't seen revolutionary Road.

Best actor

Another share between Will Smith (I am Legend) and Heath Ledger (Dark Knight - sure, it's probably seen as a supporting role, but his performance was such that he usurped the entire movie). I also really liked The Happening.

My most followed news item

The US Presidential election. It was almost as exciting as most movies of 2008, until they started voting and the results started coming in. President-elect Obama really ran away with it.
Also of interest to us here on the 'Wan was our presidential elections. Ma Ying Jiu (馬英九) also won an easy election, but seems to have already disappointed most voters. In this, 2009 also promises to be another interesting year. As a side note, the out-going Taiwanese president, Chen Shui Bian (陳水扁) Found himself in legal hot water. He was tried and found guilty of several crimes and imprisoned, then freed after a three day hunger strike and a short stint in hospital. Still not entirely sure how your condition can deteriorate so rapidly after three days of not eating to warrant hospitalisation, but there you go...

My most followed TV series

The Sopranos. Local HBO cable network screened the entire Sopranos series during 2008. Not having seen it all I avidly awaited Monday nights and watched it all. Still only seen the first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica and sorely wish we could get the next season soon. Also sad that Rome only had two seasons. I feel we could have done with a third dealing with the more interesting aspects of the reign of Emperor Augustus. I still don't get the fuss around Grey's Anatomy and Lost.

Sport's Achievement of the year

China (The PRC) kicking ass at the Olympics and winning on medal tally. And the Proteas (South African cricket team) making easy work of the Aussie national side IN Australia to win the series 2-0.

Most disappointing moment in sports

South Africa's medal tally at the Olympics tied with the loss of the Springbok as the SA Rugby official emblem and the Boks failure to capitalise on Wallaby and All Black weaknesses (player diaspora and retirements practically decimating their first teams) to win the Tri-Nations...

Most despicable news item

The still ongoing Zimbabwe saga, the world's apathy regarding the arch murderer/liar/genocidal maniac/Alzheimer ridden old fool Mugabe, and the sad state of Zimbabwe. All unnecessary. Especially regarding the South African government's ineffectual handling of the mess and unwillingness to take real hard line action. Disgusting.
Also, the sorry way in which Mbeki was removed as president. I've never been a big fan, but the way he was removed was despicable, and the election of a man the like of Zuma, equally worrying for the future of South Africa. I fully support Terror Lekota's new break away party, COPE and hope they can bring some dignity back to the true goals of the Struggle.

The Year of the Bull (牛年)

But as the year of the rat makes way for the year of the bull, there is hope for the future. Hopefully Obama can deliver on his promises (although the poor guy really does have an uphill struggle), hopefully Taiwan can make real economic headway in these difficult times, and hopefully the likes of COPE can bring some dignity back to SA politics. SA general elections are due in 2009 and should be a real revelation in terms of where our country is heading in the short term.

So, on this eve of the new year, I fervently pray for the common people of Zimbabwe, my countrymen back home and for everyone around the world. It is my sincerest wish that our worst fears do not become realised and that the world doesn't descend into an ever downward economic spiral and that we can all recover from the current economic climate and credit crunch. Not for the rich, who will only profit no matter what, but for the "everyman". for normal people like you and I. People with normal families and children. People who only want to live in peace, live our lives, make things a little better for ourselves, our families and those around us. With the old year closing out, I wish you all a wonderful and successful new year. May your hopes and dreams for 2009 be realised, and more importantly, may you and your loved ones be safe and happy in the coming year.

Feedjit - Visitor Map

FEEDJIT Live Traffic Map

Ha! I've added the Feedjit visitor's map to my blog! Now I can see where visitors to my blog comes from. Seeing as no one ever leaves comments, except a few folks in Taiwan, and as this blog originated as an updater of my goings on in Taiwan for my family in South Africa, now I can see if you guys actually ever visit the site.

Mhuahahahaha.... (That was supposed to be an evil laugh.)

Mid-Term Exam

Got the result today. 94%. I guess that's okay, but I was hoping for 100% and made one or two stupid mistakes as I was rushing to finish. Better luck for the final.

The NCKU Chinese Language Center (國立成功大學文學院語言中心中文組)

The Department of Foreign Languages and Literature - The Chinese Language Center is on the third floor.

If you're looking to study Chinese in Taiwan, you could do a lot worse than the National Cheng Kung University in Tainan city. After nearly six years on the island and learning Chinese by myself (which basically entailed writing out characters, learning vocabulary and sentence patterns and practising on anyone willing to strike up a conversation), I decided it was time to enrol in a structured program. In Tainan the options for Chinese studies are rather limited and NCKU has a monopoly of sorts. Of course, you're free to go to any of the other major cities which have many more options, but if you prefer to live in this sleepy city, then NCKU is about it.
With that in mind, and many conflicting stories about the worth of the NCKU Chinese language center, I was more than a little apprehensive to hand over my hard earned lucre.

I went by their offices in August and enquired as to study fees, placement tests, class schedules and other basic questions regarding future studies. They informed me that the next course (Fall Semester) had already closed for applications, but if I wanted I could still enroll. I decided on the spot, "What the heck. Let's give it a bash." I gathered all the necessary paperwork and headed back the next day with the necessary cash and enrolled. Less than a week later I received a letter informing me I had been accepted for the Fall semester. I thought, "I should bloody hope so! I've already handed over the money!"















The Department of Chinese Literature, conveniently situated next to the Department of Foreign Languages which houses the Chinese Language Center.

I went in for a short oral test (written tests can also be taken), which basically consisted of being asked a few questions and chatting to one of the ladies who works in the administration office. I was duly informed that I would be placed in a lower intermediate class, but if I felt it was too easy or too difficult I could move to another class. Thereafter I was also told that besides the ten hours of normal classes a week (two hours a day - I opted for 10-12 in the morning), all students are also required to 5 additional hours of "optional classes.















The entrance plaque to the Hsiu Chi Building.

There is a fairly wide variety of these additional classes, and they range from grammar and conversational classes (of all levels) to literature classes (Chinese idioms, book and film appreciation) and cultural classes. The cultural classes are by far the most popular and encompass things like Chinese painting, calligraphy and Tai-Chi. It should also be said that there is no additional cost for the additional classes and eager students can even take more than the required five additional classes. I enrolled for:
1. Two hours of Chinese painting,
2. Two hours of basic conversation, and
3. Two hours of basic pronunciation.

About two weeks into it all I had come to the realisation that the two hours of basic pronunciation was going to be nothing other than reading pinyin off a sheet practicing phonics and tones. Essentially I have no problem with that (besides the fact that I learnt and prefer zhuyin), except that the lists of words aren't explained in context nor are their meanings. So it was just a two hour marathon of reading unfamiliar words that have no meaning for you.
I then went and spoke to the helpful ladies in administration and eventually expounded on this fact. The additional five hours is government policy for all Chinese language centers island wide and is only necessary if you are on a student visa. I'm not, so I cancelled the class. I continued with the other two because they are useful and interesting. Honestly, I think most are and you just need to choose the classes that suit your needs and/or interests.

A massive stone outside the Hsiu Chi building that reads: 修齊大樓.

All in all, after seven weeks of twelve completed, I have to say I think it was money well spent, so far. My Chinese has definitely improved and I've enjoyed the classes immensely. I live in Tainan, and prefer living here to anywhere in Taiwan (except Pindong). I love the city, it's people, the history and the atmosphere. In short, I feel truly at home here. More than I ever did in South Africa. So for me, NCKU was really the only choice outside of private one-to-one tutors. I've tried that route, and exposure to the language is very limited. I had very little success with one-to-one chinese teachers (except Teacher Kevin, who is famous in Tainan, but one class a week isn't enough). Also, small group classes allow for much more interaction and listening practice and actually works out much cheaper if the course price is converted to an hourly price.

I've never studied anywhere else on the island, but I have heard good things of Shi-Da in Taipei and the TLI center in Kaohsuing. So, my advice would be, find a city where you feel comfortable and look for a Chinese learning facility in that city. Foreigners living in those cities are obviously a great source of information. If you aren't in Taiwan, check out expat forums. I'd recommend Forumosa.

That being said, if you are interested in studying Chinese at NCKU in Tainan, there website can be found HERE. The site has all the info you would need to know before you come to Taiwan (if you are outside the country. It deals with course information, visa issues, living in Taiwan, financial considerations and has photographs that you may find interesting.

On Friday (October, 31st) we wrote a two hour mid-term exam. I'm very interested in how that went. It's been ages since I wrote any exam, let alone such a long one in Chinese! I'll keep the blog updated.

Taiwan - Earthquake Island

We had some earthquake activity in Tainan on Friday. In fact, I was woken up by the first one of the day; a heavy couple of shakes and a loud crack sound that was similiar to a big crash or explosion. Not a nice way to wake up!

The Taiwan Central Weather Bureau says that seven small earthquakes happened on Friday (31 October 2008), of which I clearly felt three. Taiwan is a relatively active seismic area and small earthquakes are fairly common. But Taiwan has also experienced a few big ones in the past 100 years (over M7.0):

DATE	LOCATION	MAGNITUDE*
Dec 26, 2006	Taiwan Region	M 7.1
June 14, 2001	Taipei	M 5.9
Sept. 21, 1999	Chi-Chi	M 7.7

Here is an image that illustrates to what extent Taiwan is a seismic hazard.

























Compared to the Asian Regional Map you can easily see that Taiwan is one of the highest seismic hazard risks in Asia!

















From the coloured bar on the bottom of the image you can see that the darker the landmass (in the image) the higher the seismic hazard. Taiwan is the darkest (brown) and exceeds in hazard the likes of Japan! Usually Tainan comes off fairly easier than the north eastern and central parts of the island, and there hasn't been a serious earthquake centered in Tainan since 1946 (which had a magnitude of 7.0). Here's an image with the historical image depiction of the largest recorded earthquakes (M 7.0 and above) between 1604 and 1999.


The map isn't very clear (as it's so small) and can be found here. It fairly amazing how many large earthquakes occur not only on the island, but also east of Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean. Coming from a country that is relatively free of natural disasters (the ANC doesn't count)m it is sobering to live in a country that is ravaged by earthquakes, typhoons and tsunamis; typhoons being the most frequent and biggest causes of damage.

As far as earthquakes are concerned, here is a list of large earthquakes and casualties over the last 101 years in Taiwan:

• 1906 03 16 - Chia-i, Taiwan - M 6.8 Fatalities 1,250
• 1910 04 12 - Taiwan region - M 7.6
• 1920 06 05 - Taiwan region - M 8.0 Fatalities 5
• 1935 04 20 - Taiwan (Formosa) - M 7.1 Fatalities 3,270
• 1935 07 16 - Taiwan (Formosa) - M 6.5 Fatalities 2,740
• 1959 04 26 - Taiwan region - M 7.5 Fatalities 2
• 1972 01 25 - Taiwain region - M 7.5 Fatalities 1
• 1972 01 25 - Taiwain region - M 7.0
• 1972 04 24 - Taiwain region - M 7.2 Fatalities 4
• 1998 05 03 - Southeast of Taiwan - M 7.5
• 1999 09 20 - Taiwan - M 7.6 Fatalities 2,400
• 2002 03 31 - Taiwan region - M 7.1 Fatalities 5
• 2002 05 15 - Taiwan - M 6.2 Fatalities 1
• 2003 12 10 - Taiwan - M 6.8
• 2004 10 15 - Taiwan Region - M 6.7
• 2004 11 08 - Taiwan Region - M 6.3
• 2006 12 26 - Taiwan Region - M 7.1 Fatalities 2
• 2006 12 26 - Taiwan Region - M 6.9
• 2007 09 06 - Taiwan Region - M 6.2

1935 was a very bad year with two large earthquakes claiming more than 6000 lives! The last really big one was just before I came to Taiwan. It was in 1999 and claimed 2400 lives. In my first few years on the island I lived in a ground floor apartment and hardly felt anything. The last two years I've been on the 6th floor, and that little bit of height makes a big difference. I've experienced perhaps five earthquakes that I could really feel, and several smaller ones with hardly any effect. This image gives an indication of the seismicity of Taiwan between 1990 and 2000 and includes all earthquake activity, large and small:

























It really goes a long way in illustrating the frequency of seismic activity on and around the island. The final image I want to share is an earthquake density map of Taiwan. It illustrates the average number of earthquakes per year with a magnitude of 5 and greater at all depths.

























To be sure, Taiwan is a very active seismic area, but really big quakes that cause a lot of damage aren't all that frequent. But for a guy who grew up on the Highveld of South Africa, it is a relatively scary prospect. Taiwanese, however, just seem to get on with it as if nothing out of the ordinary ever happens. It's your basic frog and the hot water scenario. Live with something long enough, or grow up with something and people tend to find it normal or unworthy of much attention.

Super Typhoon Sinlaku

Yet another big Typhoon is upon us and once again we have a Typhoon day. As luck would have it, on a Saturday, when most of us don't work or go to school anyway...

From the Taipei Times:

Super Typhoon Sinlaku churned toward Taiwan yesterday, threatening to bring torrential downpours and violent winds and disrupt celebrations for the weekend’s Mid-Autumn Festival.
“Sinlaku is very powerful and it is expected to impact most parts of Taiwan this weekend,” a Central Weather Bureau forecaster said.
The bureau warned local residents, particularly those in coastal and mountainous regions, to take precautions against flooding and mudslides.
The northern and eastern parts of the country are forecast to experience “heavy” to “extremely heavy” rain, or rainfall exceeding 130mm and 200mm within 24 hours, the bureau said.
At 8:30pm yesterday, Sinlaku was 210km east of Hualien, packing winds of up to 184kph, forecasters said.
For safety reasons, the Taiwan Railway Administration canceled four trains operating between Taipei and Hualien last night. All express trains before 12pm today have also been canceled.
Event organizers have been forced to cancel or postpone outdoor celebrations in Taipei and several other cities for the weekend’s Mid-Autumn Festival as Sinlaku gained momentum.

Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節, zhōng qiū jié)

This weekend is also Mid-Autumn Festival, sometimes known as Moon festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Chinese calendar (usually around mid- or late September in the Gregorian calendar), a date that parallels the Autumn Equinox of the Solar calendar. The traditional food of this festival is the mooncake, of which there are many different varieties.
As usual, I have already received a gift of mooncakes from some students. The locals seem to love mooncakes, but I find them to be too dry. Kind of like eating a cake made only from pie crust.

There are several stories about the Mid-Autumn Festival, but this is the one I have most commonly heard. Wikipedia has a few more...

The story took place around 2170 BC. The earth had ten suns at that time. They burned the crops and people suffered of the infertile. Houyi sympathized the humans, so he decided to shoot down the sun but leave one to benefit the humans. After he shot down the suns, he became a hero. He had a beautiful wife name Chang’e and they lived happily together. Houyi had a lot of apprentices; they followed him to learn hunting. One day, on Houyi’s way back home the immortals emperor gave Houyi a pill which granted eternal life as a reward for shooting down the suns. He warned Houyi, “Make no haste to swallow the pill.” But Houyi loved Chang’e very much and did not want to leave her, so he gave the pill to Chang’e and let her store the pill in a safe place. Chang’e put the pill in her jewelry box. But one of Houyi’s prentices Peng discovered this secret. He decided to steal the pill. One day Houyi and other apprentices went to the mountain. Peng pretended he was sick so that he can stay at home. Everyone went to the mountain except Chang’e, who stayed at home. He intruded in Chang’e’s room and forced her to give him the pill. Chang’e knew she cannot fight Peng so she took flight and flew far far away. She did not want to leave her husband, so she stopped at the moon which is closest to Earth. After Houyi knew what happened, he was very angry and heartbroken. He looked up into the night and called Chang’e’s name. He discovered that inside the moon there was a lady’s shadow that look like Chang’e, so he ran and ran and tried to reach the moon. He failed due to the wind.

Livin' Large - A Fitness Challenge

Some Background

Ok, I'm 33 years and 3 months old. That's pretty young, right? Some guys my age are in the best shape of their lives, winning Olympic golds, Rugby World Cups and more. Percy Montgomery was 33 at the RWC 2007 and played some of the best rugby of his life last season. That's him on the left. Decent looking sort of fellow for 33, yeah?
Ok, besides looking beefy and fit, the bloke is a professional sportsman and gets paid to run, work with weights and basically keep in tip top shape. It's his job, after all. The rest of us aren't so lucky and after Varsity many, if not most, become a bunch of fat couch potatoes yapping on about the likes of Percy and how "terrible" they played on the weekend.
I know of one or two guys who have kept in shape after Varsity and they really are the exception to the rule. They have my full respect. But it does get a bit difficult to find the time (or the energy) when you have to work until 10pm and run around after your own kid when you're not working. Regardless, the excuses are easier to come by than "finding the time" to just get down and exercise. And sometimes (well, ok...almost always) it's just easier to buy a Hamburger from Burger King on the way home than to take the time to cook something healthy for dinner.

But enough is enough. Three weeks ago I was at my mate, Eben's house where I tried on his Springbok rugby jersey. It's the player's jersey, not the supporter's jersey and looks and sits just as snugly as the one you can see Percy wearing in the picture above. Now Eben is somewhat bigger than me at around 100kg and his jersey sat very snugly on me, and did absolutely nothing for my midriff. Something of a rude awakening.

The second wake up call came this week. On Tuesday I came down with a bout of flu. Now usually I can recover from a cold or flu after a day or two in bed, and I haven't had a serious run in with either in many years. By Wednesday I was much worse and my body had added a violent lung searing cough to it's repertoire. On Thursday I thought I was going to die. I thought I would be ok, by Friday, but that had to be the worst day by far. I had gone to see a doctor and a pharmacist by this stage and nothing had worked whatsoever.
My mother-in-law sent over some Chinese herbal duck soup on Friday, and somehow that seemed to do the trick. On Saturday I felt much better, yet still very weak. Today, I feel like the worst is over, but I still feel weak and sweat even though it's not really hot.
It's been one of the worst weeks I've had to endure in a very long time.

My Days of Glory

At my best I would never have been considered a big fellow, and although I've always loved rugby, I've never been more than a middling player. However, I did have some running skills and I was pretty good in the weight room. To consider how far I have fallen, as an Average Joe, I'd like to put up some boasts. Just to show that I haven't always been a fat git, and to illustrate how an average college athlete can become a thirty-something slob...

Athletics (Personal Highlights)
100m - 11,? sec in my second year (1994 - PUK)
400m - 52,? sec in my third year (1995 - PUK)
800m - 1:58 in my second year (1994 - PUK)
10km - 32 mins in my first year (1993 - PUK)
North Western Command Half Marathon, Potchefstroom
21.1km - 74 mins in my second year (1994 - PUK)
2.4km - 6:55 at Gordon's Bay (1997 - SA Navy)

Rugby
u13 B and C, u14 C and u15 C (Potch Boys High) Didn't play Opens because I felt I was too small, lost interest and wanted to concentrate on running.
Liberalia 1st XV (1993-94 PUK)
Liberalia 1st team sevens (1994 - PUK)
Villagers 2nd XV (1995-96 PUK)
Tainan Rugby Club (been out for a a bit of fun on and off between 2003-2008)

Weightlifting/Gym
Bench - A really sad 100kg one rep best (1996)
Squat - 180kg for ten reps (1995)
Dead lift - 240kg for ten reps (1996)
Best shape - 80kgs, running fit with 7 percent body fat (1996-97)

The Challenge

This is a personal challenge and it extends to anyone who wishes to join me. A kind of thirty-something attempt at rekindling some pride and re-gaining some of the "glory" of my younger days. If nothing else, just to feel healthy again and not to have too much shame when taking off my shirt at the swimming pool or at the beach. I'm also doing this publicly so that I have some added incentive to pony up the required daily discipline and get something done.

Vices
Smoking - 1 and half to two packs of Marlboro's a day.
Drinking - Social beer swilling when watching rugby.
TV - Daily sloth including lying about in front of the TV or computer when not working...
Exercise - Non existent at present.

Tale of the Tape

I took a picture of my back. You don't always get to see yourself from this vantage point, and personally, this one freaked me out the most. Not good by any one's standards, and certainly nowhere near old Percy. The point is to be honest with myself and to challenge myself to get rid of this unsightly girth that has deposited itself on my midriff in the last ten years.

Neck: 41cm
Shoulders: 131cm
Chest: 108cm
Stomach: 101cm
Waist: 98cm
Arms: 31cm (34.5cm flexed)
Thighs: 57cm (top); 51cm (mid)
Calves: 39cm
Height: 178cm
Weight: 85.6kg
Estimated Body fat: 24%
My weight and fat percentage estimate was taken with one of those wholesale electronic scales. fairly accurate, I guess, but not 100%. Good enough to tell me I have way too much fat and not anywhere near enough muscle, but I could've seen that from my picture, also.

The things is, it happens so incrementally that you hardly notice it. You start smoking and one day you wake up, and stare at yourself in the mirror while brushing your teeth and you can't quite recognise the old git in front of you. Not to mention the huffing and puffing that goes along with a simple walk up a flight or two of stairs...

Unsightly, unhealthy and a heart attack waiting to happen. Let alone cancer and all the associated lovelies that heavy smoking promises to bring in the not so far off future.

The Goal

Whereas I'd love to look like Percy at 34, I'm not a professional sportsman, and I'll never have the time or resources at my disposal that he has, let alone the genetics.

So my plan and my challenge is going to be simple. I'm going to follow a four month three pronged plan. But before I implement the plan, I will take the last week of August to get my affairs in order. This will include stopping smoking, "Cold Turkey." I've tried cutting down, gum and mouth spray, but honestly, none of that has worked. It all comes down to will power and wanting to quit. Simple as that. And I want to quit. I am also going to cut all alcohol out of my diet for the duration of the challenge (September to December) and I'm going to avoid all venues and gatherings where alcohol is consumed or cigarettes are smoked.
To help with this transition I have also registered at Cheng Gong University for a 12 Week Mandarin course which runs from Sept 15 to Dec 5.

The three pronged plan is as follows:

Part one - running
I will follow a 36 week program (which is longer than the challenge, but will give me something to carry on with after the challenge is over) which begins with 20 minute walks and slowly integrates running until it culminates in a marathon after 36 weeks. Whether I'll actually get to run a marathon is another thing entirely, as I'll just be happy to do a 10km run after the program has run it's course.
However, this part of the plan will give me my much needed aerobic exercise and starts off easily enough with walking which anyone can comfortably do.

Part two - Weight training
This part is designed to build muscle tissue to help burn off fat and to basically look better. I don't reckon I'll get a six pack, but I'd be happy to be rid of most of my belly fat.
I'm going to start slowly with one exercise per body part and work my way up to 3 exercises per body part after the first two months.
Once that has been achieved I'm going to follow the 300 Spartan exercise program and build my self up to a 300 rep exercise cycle as described by Gerard Butler in Men's Health when he was preparing for the movie, 300.

Part three - Diet
Probably the most important part of any successful weightloss or exercise and conditioning program. Basically I'm just going to eat regularly and sensibly. I'm going to cut out all unhealthy carbs like noodles and rice and eat a healthy balanced diet of fruit, vegetables and protein. I'm going to drink more water during the day and cut out sweet and sugary drinks. If I drink iced tea (a Taiwan staple) I'll stick to lemon green tea with no sugar. I love my coffee, so I'll still have one in the morning, but I'll leave it at that.

Feedback

Weekly feedback wont be useful, in my opinion. So I'll blog monthly on my progress, with measurements, but I'll leave all pictures until I've completed the full four months of the challenge. Then I'll do a before and after thing.
And with that, I'm done. But as a last thought, I challenge any good souls to join me on this venture and to challenge yourself to a healthier body and life. There's more to life than watching other blokes play rugby and watching TV.

Typhoon Day - Typhoon Fung-Wong

Sitting at home with Typhoon Fung-Wong buffeting the island. It's general practice that when a big typhoon hits Taiwan the schools and businesses close; we get a Typhoon Day, which is basically just a day off. Woo Hoo!

As you can see from the visual, it's a pretty big system, but the centre and eastern part of Taiwan will probably be the worst hit. I also suspect the south coast of China is going to be in for a very rough Tuesday and Wednesday. It strange, but it always seems to me that typhoons tend to pick up momentum in the Taiwan Straits and China gets hit a lot worse than we do. Also, down south in Tainan, we usually seem to get off fairly unscathed. This morning was fairly heavy with high winds and lots of rain. It seemed to calm down a little around midday so I went for a walk to the 7-11 (one of the few places open on a Typhoon Day). There wasn't much rain at that time but I was hit by some fierce winds which nearly knocked me over. It's 6:30 now and it's much calmer outside. I have the window to my study open and there's a lovely cool breeze (minus the humidity) blowing in.

Here's an excerpt of a South African news article on the typhoon:

Taipei - Typhoon Fung-wong slammed into Taiwan's east coast on Monday, bringing fierce winds and heavy rains that forced the closure of schools and offices across the island and severely disrupted travel.

The stock market was closed for the day along with all schools and offices and all railway traffic was halted as winds of up to 126km per hour blew across, uprooting trees.

All domestic flights and 56 international flights were scrapped for safety considerations, the Civil Aeronautics Administration told AFP.

Hundreds of residents were evacuated from an eastern village threatened by flash floods before the typhoon made landfall in the eastern county of Hualien at 06:50 (22:50 GMT), television images showed.

The agricultural authorities put 425 rivers on their alert list, demanding nearby residents take extra precaution against possible floods and mudslides.

Thousands of fishing boats have sought shelter in ports.

The National Fire Agency, which co-ordinates the country's rescue missions, said no casualties were reported as yet.

Coastguard officials said their search for a Taiwanese fishing boat which went missing on Friday last week near Matsu, a Taiwan-controlled island group off China's southeastern Fujian province, had to be suspended due to the weather.

Although, I must say, they make it seem alot worse than it actually is, at least down south. I'm fairly sure it's a different story to the east and central parts of the island. Here's what the BBC had to say:

A typhoon with winds of up to 140km/h (87 mph) has hit the east coast of Taiwan bringing heavy rain, and causing schools and businesses to close...
Taiwanese stacked sandbags and boarded up windows as typhoon Fung-Wong approached. Taiwan is still reeling from tropical storm Kalmaegi earlier this month which left 20 people dead and six missing.
Officials said dozens of villagers were evacuated from a mountainous region in southern Kaohsiung where several houses were buried by mudslides caused by Kalmaegi. A Central Weather Bureau forecaster was quoted as saying the total rainfall may reach 900mm (35 inches).

Here's a nice picture of Typhoon Fung-Wong on it's way to Taiwan. From the picture you can see it approaching from the east out of the Pacific, hence the term typhoon.
While preparing for an adult class some years back I discovered the difference between a typhoon, a hurricane and a cyclone. They're all the same thing but they are formed in different oceans. So, a hurricane is formed in the Atlantic, a cyclone is formed in the Indian and a typhoon is formed in the Pacific.
The English word, typhoon, is also from the Chinese word 颱風 (táifēng).
Here's the link to the BBC report with a nice short video of some heavy waves of the north east coast of Taiwan before the typhoon made landfall.

Six Months to a Year

No, the title of this post doesn't refer to a prison sentence. It seems I run on six month to a year time. The last time I posted (six months ago!!) Joshua was six months old. This Tuesday (May, 6th) he'll be a year old. All I can say is, "What happened???"
Time has gone by so fast this year that the last thing I can truly remember is that it was Chinese New Year and now the year is almost half over!! That's kind of the problem with having two new year celebrations a few weeks apart. By the time the Christmas and new year festivities wear off you're already in the third month of the year.

TAIWAN

Ok, so what's been happening. Well, Ma Ying Jiu (馬英九) won the Taiwanese elections and with him and the KMT (Kuomintang) back in power it seems that ties to China may be strengthened on many levels, mostly in the trade area and possibly direct flights. If nothing else, there wont be any unilateral declarations of independence or impending war over this particular issue in the next few years. Some locals do seem distraught that Chinese businessmen have proclaimed an interest in buying property on the island. As in the Apartheid years in SA, the fear mongers are out in force with, "You see!! They're going to buy up everything and push up the property prices!! Soon China will own Taiwan!"
Absolute bull, of course. Anyone who's ever been around china will tell you there are way more property investment opportunities on the mainland, especially wrt the property development market and the housing market (lots of nicer areas alot cheaper than our beloved isle). If anything, Taiwanese stand more to gain by this (those willing to see the opportunities, that is) than the Mainlanders. Chinese businessmen may very well invest in high end properties or develop properties for business purposes, but this may well be more within the Office lease arena than factories, because it is well known that China can produce anything from cars and computers to shoelaces cheaper than anywhere else on the planet.
And if I'm wrong, then those folks with property can only gain by increased property values. The reality is, Taiwan has the highest rate of home ownership in the world. Rental properties are largely restricted to businesses and single or student housing.

The Home Front

Whatever happens, I do feel President Ma is a cautious sort of fellow that wont be willing to get us into any sort of military problems by being overly belligerent. And when one considers all these things, as was the case in South Africa some 14 years ago, most ordinary folks just want to live their lives, care for their families and educate their kids. The more things change the more the stay the same.

And so it is with us. All I really care about is caring for my family and watching Joshua grow up in a country he loves and can be proud of. More importantly, a country that he can truly call his own without threats of being "pushed into the sea", "one settler, one bullet", being blamed and held accountable for things he never did caused by people he never knew and, basically, to live in a secure environment. I think that's the most we can ask for our kids. Freedom from harm and and place you can truly call home, regardless of where you are in the world.

So, with my boy turning one years old, I'm happy to be where I am. Taiwan.
Updates, ne? Well, he can't really walk yet. Everyone seems to expect a one year old to walk, and you even hear wild stories like, "When I was nine months old I could walk, talk and weighed 15 kgs." People seem to confuse reality with stories told to them by over proud parents. After all, if we were all such advanced child prodigies why are we teaching English in Taiwan for heavens sake? No, Joshua is quite a normal little boy. Perhaps a little thin (he still doesn't like eating all that much, although he is improving), but tall and healthy. Sometimes he makes noises that sound like words but you can never be sure. It seems like he can say, "Mama (媽媽)", "Baba (爸爸)" and "Helloooooooo". Sometimes he also says something that sounds like "Nainai (奶奶)" or grandmother. One thing that is certain is that he has an infectious giggle and a good sense of fun. He crawls around looking for us when he can't see us and rolls after you wherever you go in his baby walker.
He is also quite capable of holding his own bottle, although he prefers water to milk so he refuses to hold his milk bottle. Mommy still needs to do this, sometimes with a great deal of coercion.

Granny's Birthday - 19 March 2008

fl-r: Gege's girlfriend, Gege (older brother - 哥哥)

Mommy blowing out her candle.

Josh and I with the family.

Kiki feeding Josh a strawberry.

Me feeding Josh some cake.

Josh with granny.

He DOES NOT like being left alone!! At least you can see his two bottom teeth in this photo. He also has the four front ones on top.

Some extra stuff from the last few months.

Sticking out his tongue. Honestly, I think he learns that from Eben!!

Making friends.

Bath time a few months ago. Here he was just starting to gain some upper body and neck strength. About six months old or thereabouts.

Watching Super 14 rugby at Leza's house. Go the 'Tahs!!

Family photo. Pity we couldn't get a baby jersey for Josh.

About ten months old, playing with his ball.

Sitting up, and playing with his toys.

More recently, around eleven months. Everything goes to the mouth.

One arm push ups. Gotta bulk up! Gotta play center!!

A recent picture. Not doing anything special. Just looking handsome.

His mouth is open because he's "shouting". He really doesn't like being in the cot.

Just after his operation. A few months ago Josh had to have an operation for a distended testicle. In layman's terms, his testicles hadn't dropped yet, so he had to have a little "nip n tuck." All in all he was a very brave little man and didn't even cry. He was a little sore for a few weeks and would pull his knees up whenever you picked him up. Shame, way too small to have an operation, but all better now.

I think I made a doo-doo...

Daddy's little "homeboy."

Still my favourite photo of Kiki and Joshua.

Ok, so to finish off. It's been an exciting year, and a very quick one, too. Reminds me of that old SA ad, "Quick, hey?" Apologies for the long absence, but I hope the baby pics made up for it. Hopefully I wont take so long to write another update.

Cheers vir eers!!

Joshua - Six Months

It's been awhile since I've update the blog, and with Joshua turning six months old I thought it was time. I can hardly believe it's only been six months. In a way it feels longer, but it also feels shorter. The sleepless nights definitely make it seem longer, more so for Kiki than me, because anyone that knows me can testify that I could sleep through a nuclear war.

About a month ago, Joshua started flipping himself over. He now favours sleeping on his side more than on his back. He seems to take after his mother here, because he is also easily awakened.

He can't quite sit by himself yet, but he's slowly getting there. He watched the final of the Rugby World Cup and the Argentina semi-final with me propped up in this manner snuggled up in the cove of my armpit. All things considered, he's really a good little boy. He doesn't cry unnecessarily and he can sit quietly and amuse himself. Obviously, he does love company and prefers to be picked up whenever possible.

One of my fellow South African mates, Hercules, and his wife Carolyn bought this awesome "car" for Joshua. Initially he was way to floppy to sit in it unaided, but he has come to rather like it. I think he prefers it to the pram because he can sit up and survey the world around him.

Joshua, always ready with a smile and a giggle. Like his father, he's easily amused. It gives me great pleasure to hear him laugh and chortle with joy. Perhaps we feed off each other in this way. His mother seems to find it very amusing...

Aimee and Caitlin

Caitlin (left) is now 9 years old and finishing grade 3 (old standard 1). Aimee is ten years old (11 in January) and finishing grade 4. These are the most recent pictures I have of them. I truly wish it was more. The forced separation from them has been a true tragedy, I assume more so for them than anyone else. But it's good to see they are doing well and are flourishing.

Some Sad News

It is with some regret that I find myself the bearer of bad news. Hence the sombre picture in this post. Regular readers of this blog may remember a few months ago (July) I posted and article entitled "Pingtung Wedding." The wedding was between Kiki's uncle and his bride. I related the story that this son is in fact the son of Kiki's grandfather via his second wife, who isn't Kiki's grandmother, who is, in fact, the first wife. I related this piece of information as it is in contrast to our (European) culture and not something that is even much practiced in Taiwan anymore.

For the last few weeks Kiki's grandfather has been very ill, undergone some operations and been hospitalised. Today Kiki and her mom went to Pingtung because they were told the old man's health was deteriorating further. At around 13:30 Kiki called me to say that her grandfather had passed away around midday. I invite all of you who read this to pray for Kiki's family.

Since receiving this news I've felt an increasing sense of depression in my stomach. I had only met the man once and didn't know him very well. So I couldn't really understand why I was feeling this way. Before posting this update it finally occurred to me. When my grandmother (my father's mother) passed away I was sad she would no longer be with me. It was a sadness borne out of human selfishness. Having always been a Christian I never once doubted where she had gone, and therefore I wasn't sad by the actual fact of her death. I know Kiki's grandfather wasn't a Christian, and although Taiwanese people have there own belief systems (be it Taoism, Buddhism, Animism or pure old Atheism), it has weighed heavily on my heart. It's all good and well to wax lyrical about your fashionable beliefs in Agnosticism, Atheism and how fallible human science has disproved the existence of God (or the standby barroom logic that all religion was borne from superstition because our ancestors didn't know any better. But as they say: There are no Atheists in fox-holes. Similarly; when faced with the reality of death, especially someone who doesn't know of or recognise the existence of God, it is depressing to realise that the chance has passed. That soul is lost forever. It is a finality more certain than a head on collision with a freight train.

And finally, us mere mortals of flesh and blood are left behind to ponder and philosophise. Ah Gong, godspeed. May you have made your piece with the Almighty, and may He not find you wanting in His Kingdom. Now, more than any of us, like the legions who have gone before, you now know the truth of that eternal question that haunts all our souls, "What's next?"
May you rest in peace.

The Moon Festival

This weekend (22-25 September) was a long weekend in Taiwan because of the Moon Festival. The day of the moon festival fell on Tuesday 25 September. Last year it fell on 6 October, the date of which changes as do all other Chinese festivals. Reason being that the Chinese (and Taiwanese) still follow the lunar calendar for most things. In Taiwan, the Moon Festival is basically a time when families get together to braai and shoot off fireworks.

Here is a youtube video on the story behind the Moon Festival.

The Moon Festival


A Moon Festival family BBQ (Braai)


This video was taken on someones roof. Some people (seeing as a traditional house with garden is very rare in Taiwan) tend to braai on the roof of apartment complexes. Yet others do it outside their homes practically on the street. Most, however, tend to go to a park or the beach.

A Moon Festival stripper


In this clip you can see a stripper performing at a temple during last years Moon Festival. The use of strippers is something that has become increasingly less frequent. They used to be employed at weddings, temple ceremonies, god's birthdays and such. This doesn't happen so frequently anymore (more because of financial considerations than anything else) and the girls actually only strip down to their sexy underwear in most cases. Although I almost had a scooter accident a few years back driving past a temple where the girl was already buck naked with families milling around and gawking old men.

At the end of the day, Moon Festival is just a family time, with much eating of traditional moon cakes, fireworks and braais. And for kids and teachers it's as good an excuse as any for some time off. Unfortunately, like all good things, this long weekend has come to an end. Back to the quarry...

Something lighthearted - Youtube

I came across this relatively ancient ditty on Youtube, probably dating back to the old Apartheid days. I had a bit of a laugh when I saw it, especially the part where they sing, "except Breyten Breytenbach...but he's moved to Paris..."
Maybe you all will also get a laugh out of it.

Joshua videos

Kiki likes to take short videos of Joshua on her camera phone, and seeing as I've only posted photos up till now, I decided I'd post some of them. Ouma, Oupa and Tanie Nell, these are especially for you. I hope you enjoy them.

Which Hogwarts house would you be in?

Which Hogwarts House Would You Be In?
	The Sorting Hat would put you in Gryffindor. You are bold, passionate, and brave. You have a highly-defined sense of right and wrong, and you are not afraid to speak your mind or fight for what you want.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Which Harry Potter character are you?

Which Harry Potter Character Are You?
	You are part Harry. You're a loyal and courageous friend. You'd do anything to protect the people you love, especially if it'll get you a break from class for a little while.
	You are part Hagrid. You're an outcast with a heart of gold. Despite your own problems, you always find time to help those in need.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

The Rugby World Cup is Here!!

The moment we having been waiting for, for four years, has finally arrived. The nations of the world (the ones who play rugby, i.e. the only ones that really count...lol) have gathered in France to do battle and decide who will be crowned the new Champions of the world.

In Taiwan, we gather together in small groups frequenting rugby friendly bars to watch the action and wait and hope that if the new Champion isn't South Africa, that it is at least a nation worthy of the crown for four years. Not just eighty minutes...

Joshua is also very happy it's RWC. Afterall he was born this year, I believe, because he didn't want to miss it. See that smile? He's clearly very happy about it.

Only four months old, but already Joshua has good tase and the sense to support the best. Thanks to Eben's mother and father for having sent this beautiful pair of Springbok booties to Joshua. As Oom en Tanie die blog lees, baie baie dankie. Die booties is baie oulik.

Putting your foot in your mouth...

Hahaha...The boy gets more interesting by the day. Lying in bed with him this morning he was all friendly and happy so I had a spot of fun with him.

Literally putting your foot in your mouth. (ok, it's not actually my foot, but he's mine, yeah? So, it's kind of putting my foot in my mouth.) He looked very surprised. Not as surprised as Kiki, though.

Just lying on the bed with Joshua. He's good fun and he's usually very good and doesn't cry much. Actually, he's rather easy to take care for. This afternoon we went for a walk in the park and I had him strapped to the front of me with one of those baby bag thingies. He didn't utter a sound once. He just looked around at everyone and everything and happily smiled once in a while.

It's easy to take a picture of Joshua. Any movement seems to attract his attention and he poses well.

Just lying about enjoying the morning. We've actually been fortunate with the weather this year. The summer hasn't been all that hot and the evenings have been cool with nice breezes. In the mornings it's still nice enough to lie in with the young guy and mommy.