One reason so many of us enjoy life on the Beautiful Isle is that Christmas comes and goes quietly, and never overstays its welcome. This Christmas we enjoyed quiet times, opening gifts, cooking, and watching the whole first season of 24 on DVD.
This weekend, New Years, we went hiking near our house, so I thought it only appropriate to make the first picture of 2006 one of those beautiful Golden Orb spiders that one sees everywhere in the brush in Taiwan. This one had curled up when I started to manipulate his web....
...you can see from the way the skin of my finger is indented just how strong that webline is -- it was like fishing wire.
I also busted this centipede, who was moving so fast I had to use the flash to catch him.
For many years my father has loved to take pictures of beautiful flowers. I have a whole collection I hope to put up later as a permanent web page. This one's for you, Dad.
Here we take a rest...
What is New Years without excessive amounts of food? My wife and I made meat samosas, with the faux whole wheat flour available here. Delicious.
On Christmas morn the week before we grabbed breakfast....
....no, not betel nut! We bought some delicious...
....potstickers at our favorite local breakfast place. Here the cook expertly lays them out.
Sebastian and Sheridan display their latest acquisitions. Somewhere, there is a Lego executive retiring because of me.
We celebrated Christmas with the Italian Chocolate cake from 85 coffee. IMHO it's the best cake on the island. For dinner, we had the family tradition:
homemade pasta & sauce. Yum. And the next day was Monday, and back to work. Nice.
I hope ya'll had a wonderful Christmas and New Years, and that the next year brings you everything you should have wished for but forgot, as well as all the things you wanted but didn't dare wish for.
Love,
Michael
[Taiwan]
3 comments:
Dear Michael
Being a Taiwanese expat in the US, I look forward to your posting everyday! It brings so much memory back. And you bring a fresh perspective. Thank you for the candid photos, the interesting comments, and the cute kids you've got. All of it is joy.
I remain, a humble and faithful reader of The View from Taiwan!
Happy New Year 2006 to you and your loved ones, including your wife, Sheridan and Sebastian.
Lucky, lucky kids. If I had gotten Lego sets that size when I was their age, I might not have spent hundreds of dollars of my own money (once I started making it) trying to make up for that childhood void. Heh.
Happy new year to you and your family.
Just a short note to wish you and your family a happy new year. Your insight about Taiwan life is very much appreciated!
Marc (4nr)
Taipei
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