Snaps by my love...

Feeding the fish strawberry bread up at Donghai

We made the trip up to the pond at Donghai again, this time we stopped by the local 7/11 to buy some strawberry bread for the fish...they didn't have plain bread in case you're wondering why we wanted to feed fish strawberry bread...Which makes me wonder whether fish can taste different flavours? mmmm...I'll probably look that one up....of course I don't think anyone has ever been a fish and lived to tell the tale...Any case, we had loads of fun. Dylan was interested in feed the fish, he found it more amusing to throw stones into the water which the fish probably didn't appreciate that much. Another cool afternoon with my toddler and beautiful wife.

Breaking news: Giant pig roams the streets and Girl rides dog...

We spotted this massive pig, some one's pet for the year of the pig we suppose, on the way to the foreign food fest. So I ask Heather to take a photo and as if the picture could get any more bizarre than it was already...this girl walks up to the chow next to the pig and tries to ride it like a miniature pony...some things you just got to see to believe. I'm thinking the pig is going to be dinner come chines new year...what do you think?

Below: Massive pig and girl tries to ride dog

Above: Le pig

Take me to your leader...

Dylan has taken to wearing the bin as a hat, Sandy thinks it has to do with the teletubbies...Dipsy wears a hat....mmm...could be...damn teletubbies. I just think he looks uber cute. Kinda looks like an alien...I keep on stressing that it is going to get stuck and I'll have to go to hospital with my two year olds head jammed in the bin...but it seems to be okay.

On the road to becoming who we really are...

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?

... Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone...And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

By Marianne Williamson.

I edited out the christianese... I think what is meant is that we are all connected to a higher power and we can move away from destructive ideas, thoughts and behaviour into the freedom of finding our true selves. Something to think about at any rate.

Dylan's parents pulling funny faces...

It was a good day for funny faces...of course with the zany TGI Friday's waitress wear can you blame us :)

Pretty raindrops...

Pissing down in Taichung at moment. It has been a hectic week. Monday night we rushed Dylan to hospital, he had an Asthma attack. It was terrible. Heather and I were so frightened and felt like we were falling apart. They x-rayed his chest and put him on an IV. Blood everywhere, screaming baby. We spent a long and tiring night in hospital. Dylan was hyper with the medicine they gave him and only settled down after they took out the drip around about 1:30 in the morning. We both snuggled into him on the hospital bed, one on either side. Must of been a funny sight. Heather bore the brunt of the stay because she can't fall asleep with so much noise and light around her. I tend to be able to sleep anywhere so I got a little sleep. About 6 am I had to go get ready for work. They dismissed Dylan before lunch with tons of medicine and Heather has stayed off work to look after him. Since then we have rethought the situation and I think we are discovering that the episode was set of by an upper respiratory tract infection and allergies. Yup Dylan seems to be allergic to something or other. We have decided to send him for tests soon. We feel confident that we can manage the situation. We love him so much. We feel as close as ever as a family. Heather...thanks for being my anchor.

Above: The raindrops caught the flash and created this pretty effect.

A face I love...

Up close and personal with the camera with the flash on produces shots like these... :)

Yoga at home...

Heather introduced me to yoga. She diligently read about, learnt about and began practicing yoga a few years ago deep in the sparsely populated African savanna near the small village of Mogwase. Where we one lived. She is, and will always be, the most amazing person I know...I had an opportunity to show her one of the strange and wonderful poses I learnt recently in yoga class...Here she is looking seriously dislocated as she should attempting this cool pose.

Thursday is yoga day...

This is my third class and I am loving it...Never thought I would like yoga as much but I do. I find it very difficult and am disgusted by the state of my body...I need serious unwinding therapy...there are parts of my body that I am sure I have not stretched since I was a baby and in Yoga class I have rediscovered what they are...I feel sorry for the poor Chinese girl next to me today since I was pouring with sweat after 5 mins. I'm afraid that she might have gotten sprinkled from time to time (I'm so embarrassed...) BUT I am so very serious about this and determined to become proficient with Yoga. I am learning Hatha Yoga...which apparently is the basis for all Yoga and supposed to be easy and unforced...now I know why my teacher looks at me strangely when I'm grunting and straining to achieve a pose....other than the spectator value of a grunting and straining foreigner of course....

Typically we go from the mountain pose to the chair pose down to the forward bending pose or something like that...we end up with our palms flat in a pose similar to the forward bending pose....from their we descend into a squat and kick out into a kind of push up pose and then the upward facing dog and then the downward facing dog...We have done some amazingly strange poses... Oh the there are a bunch of warrior poses as well...Still trying to get a hang of things heehee.

Learnt this one today....not as easy as it looks...but fun, fun, fun....

Wednesday and I'm alright...

Feeling kinda lonely tonight...briefly considered downloading 'teach yourself Icelandic'...briefly considered. Had a long chat with Dylan...he doesn't talk yet but gave me tons of hugs as we sat and watched telly. We ate some cookies...gym was good today, I feel good. Read my horoscope....it has been a slow evening so far...but come 7 :30 I guess things will take a turn for the better...

Never too old for youth...

How has your mind been changed
by the slow decay time
has brought to you?
You used to think in invincible terms.
Your dreams hold no limits.
In terms of your abilities,
without
a doubt,
or a hesitating moment.
Now you doubt
all you once thought
to be real.
Everything you knew
as true.
All the hope you once had,
how sad
to find everything you thought
in the end to be
only the chemical snap, crackle and pop
inside your head.
All we have to defend our hearts
are the dreams we wrap around ourselves
to protect ourselves from the cruelty
that time and growing old brings.
Remember the boy
standing in the wind,
raised arms to the sky,
he thought that he could fly.

Dylans 2 evils...

Dylans two evils....teletubbies and 'the bottle'...

Fields white as snow...

Walking up to Donghai again...this time there was some kind of pod explosion...the grass was covered in what looked like dandelions gone wild...either that or a few hundred sheep were shedding their wool....we discovered this kind of pod...never seen it before but it looked pretty cool...here are some photos for you to share the moment with us...

Sitting at the waters edge with D and H...

Some moments only come around once in a lifetime...sitting at the waters edge throwing stones into a pond with my beautiful toddler and my darling wife is definitely one of those moments I'll treasure forever. I love you guys...I sometimes think how can it get any better than it already is...yet it does...it does.....thank you.

Above: Moments like these only come once in a lifetime...(P.S. I haven't put on weight...the shirt makes me look poofy...hehe..that ones from ice age 2)

We will dine tonight..but only for a short time cause...

Tuesday night and I'm cooking up a storm in the kitchen. I'm making supper as I normally do for my beautiful little family- I love them so much...they rock my world! Tonight I made a pasta dish...I layered pasta, then cheese, then onion and bacon fried in fish sauce and olive oil, then cheese once again, then pasta, then Swiss sausage and olives (those Swiss know how to make good sausage), then cheese again (we like cheese Gromit!). Here are some photos of the meal of the evening....hope they like it ;). We 'll have to eat quickly because I'll have to zoom off somewhere for a while...NOT my idea...

Above: Last layers...Swiss sausage and olives with cheese the into the oven and dadaaaa!

A walk up to Donghai...

The delights of black cherry and dark chocolate ice cream...

Dylan as the amazing spiderman....

Here Dylan shows off his spider senses by brushing his teeth...way to go Spiderman! Dylan looks so cute in his Spiderman pyjamas. What a cool superhero to be, much better than superman (No offense to Ivo, Dylan's buddy...it takes all kinds of superheros to make this world turn... ;)) D was in a lounge in front of the telly, brushing his teeth and eating apple kind of mood...both of the latter, incidentally, should keep the doctor away. Let's hope.

Above: 'Hey! This is serious work quit pointing that camera at me.'

Above: The amazing Spiderman lounges out in front of the telly after a hard days superhero work.

Flying pigs...new light on the saying 'pigs may fly'...

So now I know that scientists do have a sense of humour or is it rather that the museum curator at the Taichung science museum has a sense of humour. Amongst the animal exhibits, hidden high above our heads was this bad little pig with wings. I thought it hilarious...you gotta go see it...

Dylan and the Dinosaur...

Below: Dylan and the Dinosaur

We watched 'Meet the Robinsons' a few weeks back and so we thought 'hey it would be great to go see the Dino at the Taichung Science Museum.' Alas Dylan has lost some of his bravado that he had as a younger tod. (Perhaps not a bad thing...a survival instinct is a good thing to have...and huge aggressive looking animals with large teeth should be a little scary...) He didn't cry but stood some feet back laughing nervously at the robotic dino. He did this really cool thing, he would turn sway from the dino and look at it over his back...very cute and funny...was it a coping mechanism? I don't know but Dylan is such different character.. I love him so much. He loved running through a maze on the second floor, Heather prompted him by running ahead and making him chase her...of course we have to stop at every TV or computer screen and tap the mouse or wobble the joystick. Really fun day out with my fantastic family...Heather you know I love you? Yes? ...and I think you're so pretty....*blush*..

Above: Cool day at the Museum

my profile does look longer..

It takes a little longer to scroll down to my favourtie links and post history because I changed my profile...I think this one speaks a little more about me than the previous one.... ;)

I'll keep moving forward one step at a time...

Will you remember,
or whilst you remember begin to forget.
Forget the things you hold dear,
and whilst you forget
the clouds roll near.
To cover, to hide.
The clouds are like the thoughts in your head;
that seek to cover and justify,
to placate the feelings of guilt.
Just know that
words may hide
but at times impulse betrays;
and there is no hiding from the bright sun that burns inside,
that strips away flesh from bone ,
and separates sinew from flesh,
that eye we must make peace with
for if we hide it will burn us.
But I will never judge,
nor carry hate.
My sadness is done,
my tears all cried.
For I have let go of wanting
what will not freely come to me.
For if it is not freely given then
it can not be equal to what I am giving.
I have found a love so deep and so wide
growing inside of me,
for everything
and everyone.
I have found peace in acceptance
and letting go.

Dylan the intrepid explorer of playground jungle gyms...

Dylan's laughter is highly contagious, I can't help but join in when he laughs. Another sound he makes that I can't help but love is a funny drawn out slurp sound....love it. Here is my beautiful toddler exploring the world around him.