Monday, July 13, 2009

bushman's beach bbq


from the bushman.....

It’s time for another blogger party folks! This time, it’s going to be a grill party on the beach!

I’d been searching for a new place to do something different, and in my travels I found a cool place by the beach that would make for an excellent blogger party. I’ll show you some photos in a minute, but first, let me announce the date (and why).

September 19th, 2009
In case of a typhoon, the backup date is September 26, 2009.

Where: Sinfong, Taiwan. Coordinates: 24 54.698 120 57.994 (plug this into Google Maps). It’s just off Route 15 along the coast. Very easy accessible from anywhere in Taiwan.

The place is very easy to find and the coastline here is incredible. Like many beaches in Taiwan you cannot swim here, but the view is nice and there is always a cool breeze. What’s more important is there is a place where we can set up some grills and have a party and no one will bother us.

Why This Date?
September is much cooler than July and August, yet warmer than October. The weekend before is still part of Ghost Month, and many people don’t go out during that time. The weekend after is fine too, but then there isn’t any backup date in case of a typhoon. This date is still plenty of time before the Lunar Festival so it won’t interfere with that holiday. So, September 19th seems to be the perfect date.

Here are some details about the place:


There is a sizeable parking lot.


Just around the corner is the first of two shelters. You can also park on the right side across from the shelter.


We’ll have to bring some tables to make things easier. I have a small portable table and a few chairs that I’m going to bring. We could use a few tarps and some rope to extend the top for better sun shielding.


Next to the shelter is a “boardwalk” where lots of people walk on the weekends.


The view on the Taiwan Straight is very nice.


This area also has some great bicycle trails so bring your bike! You can ride all the way up into Yong An if you like! There is also a place to rent one of those 4-wheel bicycles.

I’m going to arrive early in the morning to set up in the shelter. Like Yong An, you can’t “reserve” the shelter so it’s first come-first served. The good news is that there is another shelter down the road from this one. There is nothing stopping us from setting up on the sand or on the boardwalk either. So no matter what happens, we can have a good time and enjoy the outdoors!

What To Bring?
  • Whatever you want to eat, and drink.

  • Portable grill

  • Charcoal

  • Small table (and chairs if you like)

  • Bicycle(s)


  • We Could Use:
  • Tarp to extend the roof

  • Rope to tie the tarp

  • Hope to see you all there!

  • that's right. hope to see you all there!

    don't forget to register at: http://www.thenhbushman.com/events

    -->> read rest of the post...

    Tuesday, July 07, 2009

    karen's birthday 2009


    early last month was karen's birthday and to celebrate we decided to go for dinner at yuanshao grill restaurant.

    karen's birthday dinner
    waiting for our table. very tempting display of sake in the back!

    karen's birthday dinner

    karen's birthday dinner

    karen's birthday dinner
    either the food was really good or olivia was really hungry!

    karen's birthday dinner
    it was some good stuff!

    karen's birthday dinner
    a lot of stuff! since it was all you can eat too, the staff kept on coming along with the stuff!

    karen's birthday dinner
    here's one of the waitresses making some fried rice on the spot in a heated stone bowl.

    karen's birthday dinner
    the end product.

    karen's birthday dinner
    roasting some marshmallows and chocolate fudge.

    karen's birthday dinner
    olivia's first time eating roasted marshmallows.....

    karen's birthday dinner
    and she didn't like it! after one bite, she put it down. i don't blame her. i tried it and tasted funny.

    karen's birthday dinneri did like my dessert tho'. baked mochi with red bean soup. doesn't sound too appetizing, but it was good.

    karen's birthday dinner
    since it was karen's birthday, it only made sense that she got the best dessert. this ice cream was really good.

    overall, it was a nice family dinner. with a kid now, there's really not much we can do nor can we go too crazy with these celebrations like we used to. but, it's all more rewarding and worthwhile now, not to mention less painful the morning after!

    -->> read rest of the post...

    Saturday, July 04, 2009

    threecolor cafe


    threecolor
    last weekend, before going over to mj's rooftop bbq party, we went to check out my friend tina's new outdoor cafe & brasserie called threecolor (三色茉莉) located in the hsinchu science park.

    threecolor
    the literal translation of the chinese name is "three color jasmine", which is a reference to a flower called manaca rain-tree, yesterday-today-and-tomorrow or vegetable mercury.

    threecolor
    the main bar area.

    threecolor
    olivia and karen taking a swing.

    threecolor

    threecolor
    i've had coke and sprite floats before but never had a coffee float. ice cream and coffee..... it wasn't too bad. the toasts were really good.

    threecolor
    olivia really liked the toasts.

    threecolor
    there's a cool traditional house in the premise, which had a bunch of pigeons feeding on the rooftop. guess we weren't the only ones doing a rooftop party!

    threecolor
    pond with lots of fish in it. olivia didn't want to leave because she wanted to look at all the fish in there.

    if you are ever in the area, make sure to stop by. the food and drinks are pretty good and prices are very reasonable.

    -->> read rest of the post...

    Wednesday, July 01, 2009

    hukou rooftop bbq party


    we had been planning for a rooftop party in hukou at mj & hui-chen's house for quite some time; but with many factors coming into play including bad weather and schedule conflicts, we had not been able to do it until this past saturday. altho' we almost had to postpone again as typhoon nangka threatened to make landfall all week long until it changed directions just before the weekend.

    hukou rooftop bbq party
    we finally got to meet selina and ashish's beautiful baby susan.

    hukou rooftop bbq party
    firing up the grill.....

    hukou rooftop bbq party
    while everyone prepared things to get the party started. notice the bottle of cc lemon that mj is holding. you know what that means.....

    hukou rooftop bbq party
    sangsom is in the house!

    hukou rooftop bbq party
    taiwan beer came along too.

    hukou rooftop bbq party
    the porkchops and burger patty on standby.

    hukou rooftop bbq party
    hey, it wasn't just all alcohol and meat. we did have a few healthy stuff too.

    hukou rooftop bbq party
    olivia couldn't wait for the food anymore, so she started on a bag of dried shredded squid.

    hukou rooftop bbq party
    while the grill does work; mj, hui-chen and selina strike up a convo and ashish checks out mj's camera.

    hukou rooftop bbq party
    these porkchops were really good!

    hukou rooftop bbq party
    the burgers were excellent as well!

    hukou rooftop bbq party
    it was overcast most of the day and we did get a little drizzle for about 10 minutes but that was it. the overcast was actually really nice as it made for a rather cool day (mind you, we are averaging close to mid 30's C these days) with some light breeze. also, as you can see there were some real funky cloud formations, which is always cool to watch.

    hukou rooftop bbq party
    ashish pulling father duties. yup..... been there, done that.

    hukou rooftop bbq party
    really good salty pork, altho' i wasn't able to eat much anymore.

    hukou rooftop bbq party
    as dusk approached, the overcast started to fade which made for a beautiful sunset.

    hukou rooftop bbq party
    from mj's rooftop, we could see the ocean so the view of the sunset was spectacular.

    hukou rooftop bbq party

    overall, a great and relaxing day. can't wait to do it again! we planning on a beach party soon, anyone wanna join us???

    -->> read rest of the post...

    Thursday, June 25, 2009

    olivia goes #2


    olivia is now potty trained for #2. for the past month or so, she's been telling us "mmm-mmm" (baby talk for shit in chinese mandarin) when she wants to take a dump. we're working on #1 now, so hopefully we can soon get rid of diapers altogether.

    olivia goes #2

    olivia goes #2

    -->> read rest of the post...

    Monday, June 22, 2009

    nba game in taiwan!


    nba game in taiwan 2009

    the nba is coming to taiwan!

    being that i'm a huge nba fan, this is super exciting news!

    the official press release:

    http://www.nba.com/2009/news/06/19/nba.taipei/index.html

    Pacers, Nuggets to play NBA's first-ever game in Taipei

    By Official release
    Posted Jun 21 2009 8:25PM

    TAIPEI, June 19, 2009 -- The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced it will play its first-ever game in Taipei when the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers tip off at the Taipei Arena on October 8, 2009. The announcement took place today in Taipei with NBA Greater China CEO Tim Chen, Mayor of Taipei Hau Lung-bin, Minister of the Sports Affairs Council Tai Hsia Ling, and President of Chinese Taipei Basketball Association Wang Ren-Da. Taipei will become the seventh Asian city to host an NBA game, following Beijing, Guangzhou, Macao, Shanghai, Tokyo and Yokohama.

    "October 8th will be an historic day for the NBA and for the millions of basketball fans in Taiwan," said NBA Greater China CEO Tim Chen. "Taiwan fans are very passionate about the game and we are honored to be able to present a matchup of these two great teams for them."

    The game at the Taipei Arena, capacity 12,874, will showcase two talented teams and some of the NBA's best players. The Nuggets made it to the Western Conference finals this season and are led by two-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony and the 2004 NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups. The Pacers are led by NBA All-Star Danny Granger who was the winner of the NBA's 2008-09 Most Improved Player award presented by Kia Motors and the fifth leading scorer in the league this season. The dance teams and mascots from both teams will be onsite to further provide an authentic NBA experience for fans.

    As part of the league's commitment to social responsibility, NBA Cares will conduct community events in Taipei designed to positively impact the city and its youth. Since it began in 2005, NBA Cares has created 418 places where kids and families can live, learn or play in 20 countries across five continents.

    "NBA fans in Taipei have been waiting a long time to see an NBA game in person and we are very excited to be hosting these two great teams in October," said Taipei Mayor, Mr. Hau Lung-bin. "Working together with the NBA, we plan to host an unforgettable event that will benefit our citizens and raise Taipei's profile as a premier destination for sporting events."

    The game in Taipei is the fourth preseason game the NBA has announced that will be played outside the United States and Canada this October. NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS will feature the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz in London on Oct. 6 and the Jazz against the Euroleague's Real Madrid in Madrid on Oct. 8. NBA Mexico Game 2009 will feature the Phoenix Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers in Monterrey, Mexico on Oct. 18. To date, the NBA has staged a total of 93 games outside of the U.S. and Canada in 31 cities in 16 countries and territories.

    The NBA, which opened its office in Taipei in 1997, continues to demonstrate its commitment to growing the game. During the 2008-09 season, three broadcast partners aired up to ten live games per week. In August 2008, former NBA Champions, Scottie Pippen, Clyde Drexler, Glen Rice and B.J. Armstrong teamed up with players from Taiwan's Super Basketball League to play two exhibition games as part of the NBA Legends Challenge. The league has organized dozens of other interactive fan events including NBA Madness, NBA Jam session and NBA 2-ball.

    it's been years since the last time i watched a nba game live. even tho' it will only be a pre-season game so the majority of the playtime will go to a bunch of scrubs, i'm still really excited and can't wait to go!

    -->> read rest of the post...

    Friday, June 19, 2009

    olivia & ethan riding the urobic at the mall




    -->> read rest of the post...

    Thursday, June 18, 2009

    week 23, 2009


    week 23, 2009
    my cousin's wedding.

    week 23, 2009
    hanging out at the global mall.

    week 23, 2009
    riding the urobic at the mall.

    week 23, 2009
    awesome chicken dinner.

    week 23, 2009
    devoured.

    week 23, 2009
    olivia's latest addiction.....

    week 23, 2009
    kiwi fruit! but then again, i think she just really likes using the "happy face" fork.

    -->> read rest of the post...

    Tuesday, June 16, 2009

    canada d'eh beach party 2009


    canada d'eh beach party 2009

    Canada D'eh 2009 ... 2009年加拿大國慶日海灘派對
    On June 27th come celebrate Canada Day with us in style.
    6月27日來和我們一起狂歡慶祝加拿大的生日吧!

    Bigger than ever
    盛況空前


    Canada D'eh beach party is already the biggest one of it's kind outside of Canada and 2009 promises to be even bigger than ever before.

    More entertainers, more food choices, bigger stage, and a new location. It's all coming together promising to be one great time.

    So don't miss this opportunity to share in our love for Canada, no matter where you come from.

    一年一度在台舉辦的加拿大國慶日海灘派對是除了在加拿大本國以外最盛大的慶祝活動,今年的的活動規模我們只能用盛況空前來形容。 節目內容更豐富、飲食選擇更多樣化、舞台更華麗、我們還找到了不同於往年的新地點,這些重要元素集合在一起,將成就我們殷殷期盼的歡樂時光。 所以,無論你來自何方,請不要錯過這個與眾多好友一起分享對加拿大之愛的好機會。

    EVERYBODY IS WELCOME! BIENVENUE A TOUS!
    不看膚色、不管國籍,大家呼朋引伴一起來參加!


    This year a portion of the proceeds from the Canada D'eh event will be donated to the McKay Hospital in Danshuei.

    今年加拿大國慶日海灘派對的部分收入將捐獻給淡水馬偕醫院作為慈善醫療用途。

    for more info click on banner above or the following link: http://canadiansociety.org/candeh/

    -->> read rest of the post...

    Monday, June 15, 2009

    2009 nba champs - los angeles lakers


    2009 nba champs - los angeles lakers

    2009 nba champs - los angeles lakers

    as someone who's been following the lakers since their "showtime" in the 80's, this means a lot to me. i'm feeling real happy today!!!

    -->> read rest of the post...