Alive and kicking!

Douhua 台南修安豆花

2012-01-26T23:51:00.001+08:00

Douhua is very soft tofu, often eaten as a sweet snack or dessert. Can be hot or cold. One of my favorite foods. You can have it with just brown sugar water or with toppings as well. Here I have stewed taro and peanuts. Yum yum yum yum yum!

台南水仙宮市場的豆花

芋頭加花生，超級無敵好吃

修安豆花
台南市國華街三段157號
+886 6 226 1069

Chinese New Year vacation start!

2012-01-26T10:18:00.000+08:00

Yes! Finally some time off!

Hanging out with parents and dogs for the remainder of their Chinese New Year holiday while attempting to strategically avoid big long dinners with extended family.

Miaoli's Hakka rice ball soup 苗栗的客家湯圓

2012-01-08T22:00:00.000+08:00

苗栗的客家湯圓比小湯圓還要大，但裡面沒有包餡，所以吃起來特別彈牙，也嚐得到加了爆香過的油蔥，蝦米，香菇，豬肉的雞豬骨頭高湯裡面豐富的好滋味。

123飲食店
苗栗市北安街123號
+886 934 119 138
休：週日

Canon Kiss X3
EF 35mm f1.4 L USM
Aperture

Tunnel adventures 2 隧道探險2

2012-01-07T23:58:00.000+08:00

What do you think crawl out of the holes in the tunnel at night when everyone's gone?

晚上沒人時，覺得洞穴會有什麼東西爬出來呢？

The mineral crystals left by water dripping down the sides of the tunnels created some interesting lines and patches, which was what caught my eye in the first place.

苗栗功維敘隧道

Gongweixu Tunnel, Miaoli

Canon Kiss X3

EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM

Photomatix Pro

Aperture

Tunnel adventure 隧道探險

2012-01-06T22:49:00.002+08:00

Journey into the Unknown. Who wants to come?

敢跟我一塊去探險的人舉手！

苗栗功維敘隧道
Gongweixu Tunnel, Miaoli

Canon Kiss X3
EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
Photomatix Pro
Aperture

這輩子還不完

2011-12-31T00:40:00.001+08:00

有一次去吃飯，順邊幫Julie帶便當，爸爸就一起結帳結掉了。

後來到Julie家，她把便當的錢拿給我，我要拿給爸爸的時候，

媽媽對我說：喔對，還有你幫我買咖啡的錢要給妳

我：不用，上次的漫遊電話費還沒還給爸爸，所以這邊還有錢

媽媽：確定？沒有錢要講喔

我：有錢有錢，我還欠爸爸錢

爸爸：唉唷，不用計較啦，妳這輩子欠我的，這輩子絕對還不完

我：。。。

想了好久，無論是錢，時間，或者愛護，真的還不完。

那我要繼續用力欠爸爸！

I love you (as always), Daddy!

Oh, 不能跟爸爸太好，媽媽會吃醋。

Here's Dad in May helping me with a caramel ice-cream monaka that I couldn't finish.

Christmas for busy people 忙碌的東京聖誕節

2011-12-29T17:50:00.003+08:00

計畫趕不上變化，變化趕不上一通電話。

Our assignment arrangement fell apart again and I gained an extra day to rest, making it what would have been a nice three-day Christmas weekend. I planned on sleeping all three days away, because I had not had a day off in almost 20, and the next wave is about just as ridiculous. Then I was summoned to Tokyo for Christmas.

It was a Christmas for busy people - work on the 24th, family day on the 25th and off to Beijing for Mama and back to Taipei for me on the 26th then Taichung 26-27th. We were efficient - went for a drive AND a walk! Pearl had Christmas cake and we ate smoked chicken with Grandpa for Christmas dinner. It was for sure a more meaningful time than if I had stayed between a comforter and mattress.

Now I'm back in the office trying to survive post production and attempting to make changes in our assignment planning so I don't almost blow a fuse every time we are on location. Ah, I miss home. Where is home? At the moment Tokyo where Pearl is probably sleeping on the heated carpet, where my suitcase full of presents was.

And the present is... 結果禮物是...

2011-12-25T12:04:00.000+08:00

Ta-da!

It is a ceramic bowl I made at the Shuili snake kilns this August during a travel feature. Because it's thick and doesn't tip over easily, I used to put my keys in it. Now it's going to be the key holder at my godmother's atelier! :D

是去水里蛇窯採訪時做的手拉坏。因為很厚又不會東倒西歪，我把它拿來裝鑰匙。現在要到乾媽工作室裡面裝那邊的鑰匙了！

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CYhljRB9bM&feature=youtu.be&t=3m33s

Christmas present 聖誕節禮物

2011-12-24T03:09:00.000+08:00

Having grown up in the States and then having moved back to Asia, Christmas was the time of year that took a lot of adjusting to. The spirit of Christmas here is not so much a time for family to get together, nor a time to spend lots of effort picking out those perfect gifts for family and friends. It's mostly a couple of busy nights for restaurants and an excuse for marketers to launch another campaign. So Christmas for my family has evolved to something kind of in between - we spend time together if we've got time, find gifts for each other if we plan to see each other. In other words, "out of sight, out of mind" is tolerated, and celebrating the holiday is optional. But we give each other things throughout the year and have a feast every time we meet for quality time anyway, so it's really Christmas all year long.

The above is my excuse for doing only one present this year. Before I say who or what, please examine the present in the picture. I wrapped it myself. In fact, I made the wrapping paper too. It is one of my woodblock prints. Yes, thank you very much. It's a great way to reuse artwork in progress destined for the recycling bin. What is inside the box is still a secret. Well, it's also something I made. The answer shall be revealed after Mama opens it.

Ho ho ho! Off to Tokyo I go!

Canon Kiss X3
EF 35mm f1.4 USM
Aperture

Lugang eats - rice noodles 鹿港小吃 - 麵線糊

2011-12-23T22:26:00.000+08:00

Traditional handmade rice noodles in thick broth. Great with a little bit of black vinegar, cilantro and garlic sauce. No garlic for me, for I am allergic. Also makes me safe to talk to (unless I am hungry and grumpy).

Handmade noodles come in different widths, and give a nice touch to texture. I'm not a big fan of soup thickened by starch, but the noodles make up for it in this case. :D

鹿港魚肉麵線糊，加點黑醋，蒜泥，和香菜很好吃～

麵條寬度不一，有的粗，有的細，口感好！
平常我不太喜歡勾芡，不過因為麵好吃，所以我還會再回來。 :D

鹿港蔡麵線糊

彰化縣鹿港鎮民族路196號

鹿港第一市場

#1 Lugang market
#196 Minzu Road, Lugang, Changhua

Canon Kiss X3
EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
Aperture

Baolai hot spring travels 寶來溫泉旅

2011-12-22T01:42:00.001+08:00

來去寶來泡湯，喝喝很「特別」的愛玉咖啡，嚐嚐梅精，還有到美濃欣賞我最愛的油紙傘！

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yghPppG198I

And the shorter, English version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmYXLMalHWo

畫面	OS/NS
onsen at night	高雄六龜的寶來溫泉，水色清澈，屬於中性碳酸氫鈉泉，您距離上一次來這裡洗溫泉已經多久了？這些遊客說，太久了！
泡湯民眾	氣氛好，風景和空氣也都很好，泡了之後皮膚也很好。八八風災後路都不通，不過現在復建之後很漂亮。這邊空氣好，在山上，也養生。重建之後我們也不能一直往別地方跑，要來這裡支持他們。
	寶來溫泉是南部的溫泉重鎮之一，不過因為莫拉克颱風，道路被摧毀，溫泉業者都大受創。而為了讓寶來溫泉加快腳步復甦，這群伯父伯母就這樣揪了團，殺了過來。
	寶來溫泉讚！
主持人翁郁容	很多人都還覺得寶來進不來，沒有溫泉可以泡，但其實路通了，而且很方便。看看最熱鬧的地方，寶來大街現在沒什麼車，也不用人擠人。現在來，旅遊品質剛剛好。接著我們要去體驗當地的名產，包括充滿了果膠的野生愛玉，還有吃了會醒過來的梅子。
	寶來大街上有許多商店都賣梅子，各式各樣的都有，而且老闆號稱，都是「尚天然ㄟ」。
梅子達人鍾享桂	這裡一年產量差不多一二十噸。都沒有用肥料，很自然，也沒有灑農藥，因為價錢交給工廠很便宜。
	隨便找家店都能看到像這樣的蜜餞，有紫蘇梅，檸檬梅，咖啡梅，梅子醬，大家大概一看就知道是什麼。不過，這一鍋黑黑的，需要不斷的攪拌的東西是什麼，您有看過嗎？要不要來嚐嚐看啊？
主持人翁郁容	喔，好酸喔！好酸喔。可是等一下會，應該是你第一口的時候要小口一點。不早說要小口一點。醒了！醒了喔？醒過來了。
	老闆說，這就是濃縮好幾十倍的「梅精」。
梅子達人鍾享桂	梅精的製作過程就是從青梅七分熟的時候就要採下來了。不能全熟。梅籽去掉，把它打成果汁就一直熬，從綠色熬到黑色，熬到凝固，總共要四十八個小時。一顆花生的大小沖150cc的熱水，它比較快融化。一天喝一杯可以增強你的體力，因為它是強鹼的食品。
	連稀釋後用喝的還是好刺激。我們還是來點相較之下，比較溫和的飲料好了，咖啡如何呢？
NS	coffee grinder
	嗯，現磨的咖啡，好香喔。
咖啡店老闆娘吳玉英	這一個是什麼？愛玉。
	嗯？愛玉？！
咖啡店老闆娘吳玉英	我們是用愛玉加冰咖啡。因為我自己也是喜歡喝咖啡，所以我喝咖啡的時候我就把愛玉加進去吃看看。結果吃了，ㄟ，感覺還不錯。咖啡很香，愛玉又很滑很嫩，所以口感很好。
	沒想到寶來也有愛玉喔。
咖啡店老闆娘吳玉英	整個阿里山山脈，還有玉山山脈全部都有生產愛玉，所以從台東，從我們這邊，從信義那邊，從阿里山其實都有。
drink coffee, suck up 愛玉	原來如此。咖啡愛玉喝起來呢，蠻奇妙的，有點像在喝咖啡凍，而因為很「滑溜」，吸著吸著，哎呀，不知不覺，一下就全喝完了。
紅豆桂圓小米愛玉	如果想慢慢品嚐，這邊還有愛玉挫冰。冬天的時候，還可以選擇不加冰，直接加梅子，桑椹等配料。而這碗是紅豆桂圓小米綜合愛玉，老闆娘的招牌點心。
music
	逛完名產店，嚐完特產，接著，想要來做點東西帶回家當紀念，就是DIY囉！
NS 搥搥搥
	敲敲打打的，這裡在做搥染，搥出自己獨一無二的杯墊創作。
搥染老師劉秀蘭	要把葉子展開喔，不然搥下去它會糊掉。
	製作搥染，一點都不困難，只是...
搥染老師劉秀蘭	做好放在那裡沒幾天可能就有朋友跟你要走了，因為它永遠都是獨一無二的。
	怕被朋友要去的話，那就多做幾個吧！
music
	許多人到寶來，都會經過油紙傘最有名的美濃。建議您回程的時候可以停下來欣賞一下。
NS 開傘
music
NS 敲傘
	美濃油紙傘業，日治時代到民國五〇年代最興盛，當時二十多家紙傘場，一年生產兩萬把以上，而製傘師傅，可都是「好野人」。
油紙傘師父林榮君	紙傘那個時候是使用品，生產的量很多。一般家庭裡面有七八個孩子的很正常。有一個孩子會做傘，而且他是紙傘師父，他就會養活全家。
	現在，油紙傘，則是一種手工藝，師傅們的使命，就是要把美濃這項百年文化，傳承下去。
油紙傘師父林榮君	這樣就緊了對不對？這隻手要固定傘骨，對。繞過來。這個地方要截過來對不對？對。截過來到從這邊放下來以後，這個地方截斷，打一個結。OK 解決了。
	傘骨的材質是韌性強的孟宗竹，傘紙則是先上過柿子水的棉紙。
油紙傘師父吳劍瑛	那是柿子水，我們吃的都是紅柿子對不對？啊我們用青柿子。早期柿子水是黏著劑跟染劑，天然的。
	遊客來到這兒，可以在黏好的傘紙上面寫字，做設計。上完桐油後，真的可以拿來當雨傘或洋傘！
	像深色的，適合遮陽，而淺色，透光度高的，建議下雨的時後用。
	每次經過美濃，都忍不住要買一把油紙傘，好啦，有時候不只一把。但它真的很美，古色古香。人家說，傘的形狀是圓形，所以代表「圓圓滿滿」，而「傘」這個字裡面有很多「人」，所以可以拿來祝人「多子多孫」，還有，「油紙」的諧音是「有子」，可以跟人家說「早生貴子」，就很吉祥嘛！
music
	很多人都覺得到美濃再上去的寶來，路還沒通，但跟您說，路修好了，今年山城花語溫泉季，寶來等著您來！
	民視新聞翁郁容吳志鴻高雄報導

畫面	OS/NS
onsen at night	Clear and odorless, neutral sodium bicarbonate hot springs is what Kaohsiung’s Baolai is best known for. 無色無香，中性碳酸氫鈉泉是高雄寶來最有名的特色。
泡湯民眾	The ambience is great, the view is nice and the air is clean. After a soak, your skin is nice too. After typhoon Morakot, the roads were all blocked, but now they’re OK, and this place is beautiful again. The air here is good, and it’s good for health to be in the mountains. We decided to come here and show some support after it was rebuilt. 氣氛好，風景和空氣也都很好，泡了之後皮膚也很好。八八風災後路都不通，不過現在復建之後很漂亮。這邊空氣好，在山上，也養生。重建之後我們也不能一直往別地方跑，要來這裡支持他們。
	寶來溫泉讚！ Baolai hot springs are fantastic!
Michella Jade Weng, Presenter	There are three foods you can try when you come to Baolai. In the summer, there’s mango and towards the end of the year, there are fig jelly and plum, sour plum. 來到寶來，可以試試當地三種食品，夏天有芒果，而接近年底有愛玉和梅子，酸梅。
	Baolai produces plums, and you can see them in all forms in stores around here - marinated, made into jam or reduced into this thick, black paste that will for sure scrunch up your face if you have a taste. 寶來生產梅子，各式各樣的都有，醃漬品，果醬，還有這鍋黑黑稠稠的梅精。吃了一定會讓你的臉擠成一團。
梅子達人鍾享桂 Jhong Siang-guei, Plum expert	You have to pick the plums when it’s not yet ripe. First we deseed it, then juice it and cook it until it turns from green to black until it is a paste, and it takes about 48 hours. 梅精的製作過程就是從青梅七分熟的時候就要採下來了。梅籽去掉，把它打成果汁就一直熬，從綠色熬到黑色，熬到凝固，總共要四十八個小時。
	Because of its strong alkaline characteristic, some people take this as a health supplement. But boy, it is really sour! 因為它的強鹼性質，很多人把它當做健康食品食用，不過，哇，真的好酸喔！
music
	On the way to Baolai, you probably passed Meinong, a Hakka town famous for its paper umbrellas. You might want to stop by on the way back. 許多人到寶來，都會經過油紙傘最有名的美濃。建議您回程的時候可以停下來欣賞一下。
NS 開傘
	The paper umbrella industry here started about a century ago and the local economy heavily depended on it. 美濃油紙傘業，有百年歷史，以前傘業是當地一個很重要的產業。
	But today, handmade paper umbrellas, even though still fully functional, are more of a novelty, and craftsmen continue to make them mostly to keep the tradition alive. 不過現在油紙傘，則是一種手工藝，師傅們的使命，就是要將這項文化傳承下去。
	The umbrella is made of bamboo and cotton paper. Persimmon juice binds them together. 傘骨的材質是只傘是用孟宗竹，和棉紙製成，柿子水則是黏著劑。
油紙傘師傅吳劍瑛 Wu Jian-ying, Umbrella Craftsman	That’s persimmon juice. The persimmons we eat are red, right? Well we use green persimmons for this. In the old days, persimmon juice was a glue and dye. Completely natural. 那是柿子水，我們吃的都是紅柿子對不對？啊我們用青柿子。早期柿子水是黏著劑跟染劑，天然的。
	After typhoon Morakot, the roads to, from and thru Baolai and Meinong were heavily damaged, but are now restored, making this area once again open to tourists. 八八風災後，很多人都覺得到美濃再上去的寶來，路還沒通，但跟您說，路修好了，今年山城花語溫泉季，寶來等著您來！

Thoughts on recent media disaster 華視梁春姬事件感想

2011-12-21T18:34:00.000+08:00

哇，今天網路上大家還是繼續罵。看到很多人寫，很多台灣媒體有多糟，台灣教育有多失敗，教出這樣的記者和媒體人... 更有記者說[就是因為這樣，我不從來不拿出識別證讓人家知道我是記者]，其實看到這些，心理很難過。

不尊重自己行業的人還講得出來，做得下去，那真的很令人驚訝。不過看這麼多人一竿子打翻一艘船，也覺得沒必要。

我覺得華視利用這樣的手法不代表所有台灣媒體都一樣糟吧... 我認為連其他媒體都覺得太離譜所以也做這條新聞呀... 該檢討的是[每日新聞報導]，不過台灣的[新聞專題]常常抱回亞洲電視獎，光民視至少就有異言堂和台灣演義在國際上被肯定，其他台也有不少作品入圍和得獎，所以[台灣媒體]不是整個都那麼的糟糕。我相信(包括我在內)很多媒體工作者這時候希望說：大家不妨看一些專題，或許您會發現所看到的內容有意義，有趣，也有水準。不要被部分沒水準的每日新聞影響而失去對台灣媒體所有的信心！

還有，我們假日的旅遊新聞專題也不錯看喔！！！

Here's a very rough and quick translation of the above:

Two days after the CTS news disaster, people are still ranting about it on the internet (in Taiwan). Lots of Taiwanese people are writing things like "Taiwanese media is the worst," "Taiwanese education is a total failure, producing reporters and media workers like this," and I even saw a reporter write, "this is the reason why I never take out my TV station ID and never tell anyone I'm a reporter." Actually, reading this really breaks my heart, and seeing a reporter make a statement about not respecting his/her profession and still continuing to be in that profession really amazes me too.

CTS's choice to present their news this way does not mean the entire media in Taiwan is doing the same thing or has the same values as CTS. The reason why the entire media is reporting on the fiasco and the criticism that CTS is being bombarded with is because they believe what CTS has done is inappropriate (I believe). Spot news in Taiwan as a whole needs to improve, but that doesn't mean the standard of the entire spectrum of Taiwanese media has gone to hell. Many of the features produced here have won honors at Asian TV Awards. FTV's Hall of Dissent and Taiwan History have won international awards, and many other stations and their news programming/features as well have also received international acclaim, so Taiwan's media as a whole certainly does not reflect what happened on CTS news. I believe that myself included, many people working in Taiwanese media would like to say, "please tune into news features, you might find what you see to be interesting, meaningful and well made." Don't let one TV station's disaster cause you to lose faith in all of the media.

Oh, do tune into our weekend travel features, those are pretty good too!

Terrible translation, I know. I should have rewritten. But I must get back to writing for work before I am fired.

Tasty fruits 好吃的水果

2011-12-21T01:56:00.003+08:00

Day 16, 連上太多天班，EQ驟減，心很煩...來切水果!

Cooking (well, not really allowed in my apartment) or cutting fruit and vegetables are very therapeutic for me.

Here we have oranges and melon from my coffee farmer friend in Alishan and persimmons from Lishan that I got at the farmer's market last weekend.

這裡有來自阿里山咖啡農朋友(陳皇仁，他的咖啡真的好喝喔！)的香瓜和柳丁，以及上個週末在爭豔館市集買的梨山甜柿。

I love Taiwan's fruits!

我愛台灣水果!

養顏美容！

Plenty of fruit for breakfast, and then a nice, healthy snack at the office.

Ah, satisfied. Now I can sleep.

Good night!

Canon Kiss X3
EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
Aperture

Next TV interviews Judy Ongg 壹電視專訪翁倩玉

2011-12-20T01:33:00.000+08:00

Judy Ongg 2 December 2011 interview with Amanda Lee of Taiwan's Next TV. The show will air on 22 January 2012 at 2200 here.

翁倩玉接受壹電視李晶玉專訪，2012年1月22日晚上10點播出。

Proud to say that I am getting better at taking pictures. Having good lighting and an interesting subject really is incredibly helpful!

More pictures at Judy Ongg's Facebook fan page.

with anchor Amanda Lee 李晶玉

and with producer Tracy Hwang 黃安晴

Canon Kiss X3
EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
EF 100mm f2.8 macro L IS USM
Aperture

令人無言的媒體作品...

2011-12-19T23:31:00.002+08:00

我的媽呀

這兩天看了兩個讓我下巴掉下來的新聞片段

台灣媒體，可以不要這樣嗎？

我看過台灣好多好多很好很好的作品，但這種的也有必要做嗎？

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxHAFR4s8k4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PjfEQnN6iA

Persevere and hope for the best 走自己的路

2011-12-18T22:49:00.000+08:00

Choose our path, persevere and hope for the best.

I'm a firm believer that we should walk our own path, do what we think is right and hope that one day we shall receive what we deserve.

(this is what I tell myself when I don't have what I want or have to work with difficult people and difficult issue...)

Walami section of Batongguan trail in Yushan.

我一向認為
我們應該走自己的路
做我們覺得是對的事情
然後希望有一天
會得到我們所應得的

玉山八通關步道，瓦拉米路段

Canon Kiss X3
EF 100mm f2.8 IS USM
Aperture

Xiami xiami rong 蝦瞇蝦瞇容

2011-12-17T11:30:00.001+08:00

A story from a few months ago...

有一天和搭檔吳志鴻與駕駛李傑走進台南市的阿魯香腸熟肉準備點菜吃中飯時，
老闆娘說，
「ㄟ，你不是那個蝦瞇西瞇容嗎？那個新聞的蝦瞇蝦瞇容。厚，沒有黃色帽子，差一點沒有發現」。
原來我就是「黃色牛仔帽蝦瞇蝦瞇容」！
謝謝可愛的老闆娘～

(photo by 陳勁曄)

Canon Kiss X3
EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
Aperture

Paiwan glass beads and leather 排灣琉璃珠與皮革

2011-12-17T00:51:00.003+08:00

結合皮革的排灣族琉璃藝術！
兩個禮拜前我們到三地門採訪時，
我看到一個好像能裝我們mini mic的發射器的東西，
但需要一些修改，所以我就跟他們一起畫圖，訂做一個。
哇，沒想到來的時候讓我一整個愛上它，
原本只打算出外景時用，
現在把它綁在我的皮包上，平時裝手機用！

這家店是三地門的沙滔舞琉璃，
之前在機場OTOP櫃就買過小吊飾，
感覺很特別，很有味道。
除了傳統，現代的琉璃藝術呈現方式，
他們還結合舞蹈，可惜當天沒拍到。
先不講太多，下禮拜就要播出了：）
雖然當天拍攝的過程不是非常的順，
不過很開心接觸到這家琉璃藝術工坊，
希望以後有機會更加認識他們。

My new accessory! It is made of leather and Sandimen (三地門) Paiwan (排灣族) glass beads. I actually got this custom made to fit our pin mic transmitter for when I'm out on location, but the beads, deep red leather and feathers kept calling out to me, "take me out to town, bring me with you!" So here it is on my purse as a phone holder for the time being.

I got this at a Sandimen Paiwan beads shop while filming there a couple of weeks ago. Though the filming wasn't that smooth, I quite like what they are doing with this traditional craft over there. That story will air next weekend. :)

Meanwhile, here is the shop information.
沙滔舞琉璃 Shatao

屏東縣三地門鄉三地村中正路二段37巷7號

#7, Lane 37, Sec 2, Zhongzheng Road, Sandi Village, Sandimen, Pinging

+886 8 799 4849

http://www.wretch.cc/album/shatao
Closed Mondays

Canon Kiss X3
EF 35mm f1.4 USM
Aperture

Blacksmithing in Taitung 台東打鐵鍛冶体験

2011-12-16T20:24:00.000+08:00

台東池上での鍛冶初体験、凄く楽しかったです！
そして、先生もとても親切だったので、良い想いでになりました。
日本時代、この三代目の鍛冶屋さんのお父様と大叔父様が日本刀を作っていたそうですよ。
チャンスありましたら、是非お試して下さい、大勧めです！

台東池上的打鐵初體驗，超級好玩！！！
加上第三代打鐵師傅鄭銘昇，人親切又有耐心，真是難忘的經驗。
現場還買到師傅打造的銅製拆信刀，成為我珍貴的紀念品。

Blacksmithing in Chishang, Taitung.
Incredibly fun, but boy, my arms were sore for days afterwards!

台東池上福原社區
+886 89 865 868

Canon Kiss X3
EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
Aperture

(photos of me by 吳蝦仁)

媽媽的春聯

2011-12-13T17:28:00.000+08:00

看到這個就有很溫暖的過年味

These are written by Mom, an amazing Chinese calligrapher, also an amazing chef. It explains why I'm lousy at both - I always get chased out of her study and her kitchen for never being able to catch up to what she is saying.

Moo! Got milk?

2011-12-12T20:04:00.000+08:00

This was at JJ Valley Farm 吉蒸牧場 last week. All afternoon I drank the freshest and littlest processed milk sterilized at only 65C. And I realized that I had become lactose intolerant. Haha!

喝了一整個下午的，最新鮮，65C低溫殺菌的牛奶，然後發現我有乳醣不適症。太久沒喝牛奶了！

If you are in the Ruisui, Hualien area during lunch, JJ Valley Farm is a good place to stop by. There aren't that many interesting attractions inside, but you can get some great milk and interesting milk-based cuisine, like hot pot made of raw milk and broth.

(first photo by Johnny Hsieh)

Canon Kiss X3
EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
Aperture

Dogs sleeping warm as toast

2011-12-12T13:52:00.001+08:00

I could use a warm body (or two, or three) right now. But seemingly my only option right now is to put on thicker clothes. Bought an eneloop hand warmer yesterday. Hopefully that will help.

My drinking buddy at Miru Yakiniku 米魯燒肉

2011-12-11T19:32:00.001+08:00

Dr Dad

Dinner last night at Miru Yakiniku 米魯燒肉, a nice little place that uses quality ingredients and has enthusiastic, young servers. I'm not a big meat eater, but they do have lots of vegetables and seafood to offer as well. I particularly enjoy their grilled rice balls and grilled rice cakes. I've even seen marshmallows, or maybe that is a special for friends of the owner. ;)

Do give this place a try. Even my the pickiest of eaters (my parents) give two thumbs up.

Miru Yakiniku (Tongling branch)
米魯燒肉 (統領店)
B1, #1, Alley 7, Lane 205, Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei, Taiwan
台北市忠孝東路四段205巷7弄1號B1
+886 2 2771 0022
http://www.ibeer.com.tw/

Canon Kiss X3
EF-S 17-55mm IS USM
Aperture

What a morning 棚內棚外兩樣情

2011-12-10T22:44:00.001+08:00

昨天晚上乾媽又說，
「妳怎麼到現在還是嘴巴歪歪的播新聞？」
所以今天就特別特別注意。
但到了0800真的是一個手忙腳亂，
已經不是媽媽說的鬥雞眼或乾媽說的歪嘴巴問題了。

‎0800好多讀報，我就開始猛吃螺絲，
然後喉嚨也開始莫名其妙有痰
讓我好想咳嗽，
接著讀稿機突然開始有自己的想法亂跳，
播到一半又有突如其來的連線，
而且有的還斷訊！

沒想到斷訊時才發現沒備稿，
備稿拉出來了發現沒主播稿。

想說這下子死定了，
但就是硬著頭皮直接用slug拜，
最後嚇得出了棚之後雙手還在抖。

結果從一棚走到編輯台，
編輯大哥大姊們卻笑笑著對我和Shinki說
「哇，你們有看到剛才那一大道彩虹嗎？好漂亮喔～」

我們水生火熱挫嘎要死，
他們竟然在欣賞美麗人生很ureshii，
真是棚內棚外兩樣情!

呼～

不過有如同事說的，
這是邁向專業主播的必經考驗～

活過今天，明天會更好。

謝謝大家的包容和鼓勵，我會更加努力！

晚安！

喔！這是我們今天播出的旅遊專題
「茂林三黑」。

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCXUfaTW8N0

Skyping with Pearl

2011-12-10T13:55:00.001+08:00

Pearl-chan cracks me up.

She's always saying, "OK Girls, it's time for bed."

And then she tries to hang up, but never really succeeds. She hasn't properly learned how to use the trackpad. Yet.

Everyone in our family is very high tech, you see.

Judy Ongg 翁倩玉ジュディ・オング Hsinchu concert pictures 3

2011-12-10T07:16:00.001+08:00

Hsinchu County concert

12 November 2011

EF 100mm f/2.8L macro IS USM

EF 35mm f/1.4L USM

Aperture

The "cool" girl 傳說中的帥妹

2011-12-07T22:29:00.001+08:00

A colleague whom I worked with for the first time last Saturday posted this picture she took of me on Facebook and titled it "傳說中的帥妹." Roughly translated, it is "the legendary cool girl." What...? Not the image that I had in mind, but thanks, I guess! It's good to know that I look OK in both a beautiful kimono at parties and in grungy jeans and muddy trainers with a big camera in hand while sitting on lighting boxes.

(photo by Tracy Hwang)

Taitung foods 台東美食

2011-12-06T23:49:00.001+08:00

What do these have in common, other than the fact that they're from Taitung and that they're all very tasty?

除了是台東美食以外，猜猜這三樣東西有什麼共同點。

:D

(second photo by 吳蝦仁)

Canon Kiss X3
EF 35mm f1.4 L USM
Aperture

Hello from Taitung 台東

2011-12-06T00:46:00.001+08:00

After an incredibly crazy weekend, I am back on the road, which in comparison seems like less of a challenge than my busy days off. My goodness.

Here I am tasting "interesting" ice cream in Taitung 台東. What flavor ice cream do you think is causing this strange expression?

(photo by 吳蝦仁)

Canon Kiss X3
EF 35mm f1.4 L USM
Aperture

Kimono 和服

2011-12-03T09:43:00.001+08:00

I wish I get to wear my furisode (long sleeve) kimono more often. Isn't it gorgeous? This picture was taken a year ago, and I haven't gotten a chance to wear it again since.

You know, I'm proud to say I can wear it myself. I have been well trained by a parasol-weilding godmother. It usually takes one to two people to dress a person in kimono, and kimono dressers charge a couple of hundred of US dollars for each job. But it's not just about saving money, it's also about learning and preserving the culture.

Kimono is usually handed down from mother to daughter. This one belonged to my (god)mother, who wore it when she was my age, so it is not only beautiful, it is also meaningful. It was my graduate school graduation present. My mothers always have a hard time figuring out what to give me for Christmas and my birthday, or any other occasion for that matter because I never want anything (new). I want something of theirs! Well, it doesn't have to be kimono's all the time. Purses, rings, shoes, diamonds and fur coats will do too. Ha ha ha.

Writing is making me hungry 寫稿寫到肚子餓

2011-11-30T23:35:00.001+08:00

This is why.

Judy Ongg 翁倩玉ジュディ・オング concert pictures 3

2011-11-30T21:15:00.001+08:00

Hsinchu County concert

12 November 2011

EF 100mm f/2.8L macro IS USM

EF 35mm f/1.4L USM

Aperture

Good morning and good night 早安晚安

2011-11-29T22:00:00.001+08:00

What a day it's been. I've turned into an ugly zombie. I've learned my lesson - I do need sleep and exercise after all.

Good night!

Here are time lapses of the sunrise and sunset from the rooftop of FTV today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEXTNqHjXow

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmfZ5lm37A4

Play hard, work hard 先甘後苦

2011-11-28T21:56:00.001+08:00

The sky was beautiful today, so I decided to bring my camera gear to the office to do a time lapse of the sunset in between reviewing footage and writing and before dinner with Jack, an old friend who is in town.

But first, I went for haircut, with my camera, tripod, time-bomb looking intervalometer, computer, purse and all. At the salon, I bumped into my friend Diana and we ended up going for tea afterwards. Tea stretched through the sunset and into the evening, so decided to go straight to dinner with Jack. We had a fun meal at Dancing Pig and I am 1,5 days behind in work. Body and mind were uncooperative so I only got half a day's worth of work done during the entire day. I guess instead of shooting last night's sunset, I will be shooting tomorrow's sunrise!

Today and tomorrow were supposed to be off days, so if I look at it this way, I'm actually not behind, I'm ahead half a day! Yeah right.

Time to get cracking.

Seediq travels 賽德克溫泉旅遊

2011-11-28T01:15:00.001+08:00

Have you seen the award-winning movie "Seediq Bale" yet? I saw the first part and really liked it. Looking forward to the second, although I hear it's even more gory.

Canon Kiss X3

EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

Photomatix Pro

Aperture

A few weeks ago, we did a travel piece that's somewhat related.

Here it is, in English and in Chinese.

English: http://youtu.be/lgX53vzVEg4

Chinese: http://youtu.be/y7Eh9NzT5BE

The movie "Seediq Bale" has recently brought much awareness to the Seediq tribe and its culture. Practically just about anything Seediq these days is a topic of interest, including the hot springs in which they used to soak.

Li Ji-tian,Seediq Expert:
The Seediq lived in Renai Township. Nantou has the highest hot spring density in the country, and many are here in Renai. We have carbonic acid springs here.

Following a nice hot bath is a tasty meal made from very simple ingredients.

Li Ji-tian,Seediq Expert:
Food in those days was very simple. They ate whatever that the rivers and mountains provided.
If they caught a bore, they'd trade it with people at the bottom of the mountain for salt, and salt was the only seasoning they had. At that time, there was no refrigerator either, so when they caught a bore, they'd salt it to preserve it. That's why there is a lot of salted bore in their cuisine, and also shrimp and freshwater fish.

During the Japanese occupation, the Seediq decided to fight and to take back their dignity and sacred hunting grounds. One day, Mona Rudao, a Seediq chief launched a brutal attack.

After a second incident, there were less than 300 Seediq tribespeople left, and all of whom were then relocated to an internment camp.

If you're looking for a bit of history and culture to go with a hot spring trip, Nantou's Renai Township will not disappoint.

賽德克舞蹈表演

Judy Ongg 翁倩玉ジュディ・オング concert pictures 2

2011-11-27T01:01:00.001+08:00

EF 100mm f/2.8L macro IS USM

EF 35mm f/1.4L USM

Aperture

Meinong paper umbrellas 美濃油紙傘

2011-11-25T23:36:00.001+08:00

林榮君老師

我對紙傘，手工傘有很深厚的情感。住日本時，乾媽就是拿了一把有流疏的手工傘教我怎麼穿著禮服，採著高跟鞋走路的。那個時候怕得要死。不過學會怎麼走路，第一次到了京都發現，紙傘好優雅，好有味道。

但發現在台灣很多人覺得送傘，會讓人與人之間的感情「散」，但我一直想說這好可惜，因為雨傘，尤其是紙傘多美麗啊！為什麼不能送人？

美濃油紙傘師傅們就教我這樣說：
傘的形狀是圓形，所以可以祝人事事「圓圓滿滿」
油紙的諧音「有子」，也就是「生子」
「傘」這個字裡面有很多「人」，所以可以說傘能讓人「多子多孫」

My apartment looks like an umbrella shop right now! The two in the back are from Kyoto - they're my first paper umbrellas. But not all of these are mine. Well, all but four (friends and relatives wanted me to bring some back for them when I was in Meinong 美濃). The craftsmen, 林老師 and his wife 吳老師 are too busy making umbrellas, speeches and teaching to update their prehistoric website, so the latest designs are not on there.

So you see that I'm a big fan of 廣進勝's paper umbrellas. I use them rain or shine as an umbrella or parasol (dark ones I use as parasols). I also appreciate very much the couple that makes them. They do almost everything by hand, including the splitting of the bamboo frame. They are second generation umbrella makers, and now passing the tradition on to their son.

Meinong is known as a Hakka town famous for its paper umbrellas and large size ceramics.

http://www.shop2000.com.tw/美濃油紙傘/

Oh, if you visit the shop, you can also try your hand at making a mini umbrella or painting one that you can actually use later on!

Canon Kiss X3
EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM (photos 1 and 3)
EF 35mm f/1.4L USM (photo 2)
Aperture

Symbol of love 真情告白

2011-11-25T22:39:00.001+08:00

真情告白

Symbol of Love

Rukai (魯凱族) tribesmen give these to women to show affection. When a man sees the girl of his dream, he'll have his mother make one of these millet or black millet spray bundles. Then he'll give it to the girl and she'll hang it on her wall in the living room. If there are lots of them already hanging on her wall, then the guy will know that he has lots of competition, so a smart guy will first go and check out how decorated the wall is. If the girl and her family like the guy, they'll let him work for the family for a few years and then let him marry into the family later on. The Rukai tribe is a matriarchal society.

The black millet festival (黑米節) in Duona (高雄茂林多納部落) is this weekend, and visitors will get to make their own black millet spray bundles.

http://www.tipp.org.tw/calendar/2011/11/rukai_1.html

As for black millet, it is supposedly unique to Duona. The legend is, one day a tribeswoman went into the field to work, bringing her baby like any other day. She left the baby in the field like she and others always do and started to do her work, moving further and further away. But on this day, the baby disappeared. Everyone searched everywhere, but the baby could not be found. Days later, the god of the sea to the Rukais appeared to her in a dream. It said, "here is some black millet. When you have successfully made it into a crop for the village, your son will be returned to you." Decades later, she finally did it, and her son returned a grown man.

Today, the black millet is also used as a charm to keep people safe from harm, and is taken as a food. Its shell is black, but white on the inside. It is a glutinous rice and is chewier than most other kinds of glutinous rice.

Canon Kiss X3
EF 35mm f/1.4L USM
Aperture

Maolin Crow Butterflies 茂林紫斑蝶

2011-11-24T23:24:00.001+08:00

Purple Crow Butterflies are starting to arrive in Maolin, Pingtung (屏東縣茂林) for the winter. From about 1000 to 1200 every day, you can see swarms of these beautiful creatures just from the side of the road. The trick to photographing these guys is to simply focus on one at a time and waiting until it opens its wings. They'll open and close, open and close. I didn't learn that until after we left. So no pictures of them with wings open. Silly me. You'll have to watch our news report that comes out in a few weeks.

Hanging out at the nectar bar.

Lunch time!

Happy to see that our driver really enjoyed the trip too.

Canon Kiss X3

EF 100mm F2.8 L macro IS USM

Aperture

Mahogany tunnel 桃花心木林隧道

2011-11-23T00:10:00.001+08:00

Come walk with me,through this tunnel of mahogany.

Maolin, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

茂林新威森林公園

Canon Kiss X3
EF-S 17-55 F2.8 IS USM
Photomatix Pro
Aperture

Saturday breakfast 星期六的早餐

2011-11-19T09:15:00.001+08:00

Good morning! Having breakfast right now in between newscasts. How do you like my outfit today? I feel like a cute little schoolgirl.

早安！趁空檔正在吃早餐。
今天的服裝感覺很像私校的女學生，
挺可愛的！

I usually have a two-part breakfast of convenience store rice balls on Saturday. One at 0430 and one at 0900. My favorite flavors are salmon, salmon roe, codfish roe and o-inari-san related items.

一般禮拜六的早餐有兩部曲，
兩粒便利商店的御飯糰，
分別在0430和0900的時候個吃一粒，
不這樣吃，我會沒力氣播報。
一次吃太多則會想睡覺無法播報～
最喜歡的口味是鮭魚，鮭魚卵，鱈魚子，明太子，稻荷系列。

This is the travel feature we are airing this weekend.

這是這個週末的旅遊專題。

http://youtu.be/y7Eh9NzT5BE

Judy Ongg 翁倩玉ジュディ・オング concert pictures 1

2011-11-18T02:27:00.001+08:00

This is the first of a series of pictures from Miss Ongg's concert with Evergreen Symphony Orchestra and other artists in Hsinchu County, Taiwan. The concert took place 11-12 November 2011, but these photos are from the 12th.

You can follow Miss Ongg on her Facebook page. These are all pictures that have already been published there.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/翁倩玉-ジュディオング-Judy-Ongg/157983797592940

I had only 2 lenses to work with:
EF 100mm F2.8 L macro IS USM
EF 35mm F1.4 L USM
and a Kiss X3 body, but I think I did OK!

Kind of proud of myself, actually!

More to come later!

Here is the news story from the concert and a preview for the re-airing of her documentary on FTV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6TzaORJoAY

Lishan - Undiscovered beauty 梨山原來這麼美

2011-11-10T23:58:00.001+08:00

http://youtu.be/iqbhAn_Cj4s?hd=1

This is only a tiny part of it. I would like to see more of this beautiful back country. Clouds and fog like this can be seen all year round.

Seasonally, there are:
Red maple leaves in Autumn.
Snow in Winter.
Ping cherry blossoms in Spring, followed by white plum blossoms, then pink and white apple blossoms.

Looking forward to the next time I am there.

Hoping that this little time lapse sequence (shot on my camera which is about to poop out) will make it into our travel feature.

Daddy, would you like to sponsor me for a new camera and a lens? *wink wink*

Sock zebra 襪子斑馬

2011-11-10T10:35:00.000+08:00

How do you like my new desktop?

This is a sock zebra I made at a Changhua tourist sock factory, Loho Hosiery Factory Tours 樂活觀光襪廠.

Our guide there said that sock toys people DIY here usually ends up looking a little like themselves. You think this one resembles me?

:D

Socks/hosiery is the largest industry in Shetou, Chuanghua. 80% of socks in Taiwan used to come out of here.

Loho Hosiery Factory Tours 樂活觀光襪廠 (Springdex)
彰化縣社頭鄉廣興村中山路一段465號
#465, Sec. 1, Zhongshan Road, Guangxing Village, Shetou Hsiang, Changhua County
+886 4 872 0522

All photos in this post:
Canon Kiss X3
EF 35mm F1.4 L USM
Aperture

Autumnal Passion 秋天的狂戀

2011-11-09T21:46:00.001+08:00

Canon Kiss X3
EF-S 17-55mm F2.8 IS USM
Aperture

Talking about falling in love with Lishan! This is by the visitors' center in Lishan. It's just down the way from the roundabout, a little bit off the paved path.

If you 're looking for amazing, red maple leaves without a crowd, Lishan is a good place to go.

Canon Kiss X3

EF 100mm F2.8 L macro IS USM

Aperture

Brrr in Lishan 梨山好冷！

2011-11-08T20:58:00.001+08:00

We are now in Lishan 梨山. It is quite cold here (the red maple leaves say so too), especially coming from Taipei, where it was over 30C this past weekend. Now at 2041 in Lishan, it is about 12C. With no heater but a nice bathtub in my room, I think I'm going to have a soak, then crawl under the four layers of comforters and wool blankets.

Good night!

Changhua's Bawan 彰化肉圓

2011-11-08T01:38:00.001+08:00

We're currently on assignment in central Taiwan. Today, we visited Changhua 彰化 and of course had 肉圓 bawan (Taiwanese). I'll usually have about two of those a year, or even less, but I had three this afternoon. I really was stuffed, but it was quite good! Bawan is roughly translated as "meatball," but to me, it's more like a dumpling because of the skin around the pork filling. The outside layer is made of sweet potato flour, which is a little chewy when cooked and holds everything together. First, the entire bawan is steamed and then it is then fried at a relatively low temperature. You can practically touch the oil with your bare hands and not be burnt. The frying makes the outermost part of the bawan skin a little dry and just a little bit tough, making it chewier. You can get it simply steamed or boiled in other places, but people in Changhua like their bawan chewy and oily. The sauce that goes on the bawan is also very important. There are two parts to the sauce. One part is usually made of glutinous rice flour and it is very thick and a little bit sweet. The other part is thick as well, but savory. Each restaurant has their own secret sauce recipes. Both sauces are dropped onto the bawan and the sweet and savory flavors mix in your mouth.

In this particular luxurious bawan, in addition to pork, there's also bamboo shoot, mushroom, a salted duck egg yolk and scallop. The sauce at this restaurant has peanut in it, giving it a nutty, almost sesame-ish flavor.

The young women in this picture are the great grandchildren of the man who first started selling bawan in Changhua. They were both studying in the States, (one studying to become an occupational therapist) but decided to come back when their father fell ill and thought about closing the store for good. They came back to take care of their father and to continue the family business of selling bawan. They said it's a tough and messy job, but they feel that continuing the tradition and the family business is their responsibility, and as far as I could see, they do it willingly and happily. I was really touched.

This is my cameraman who wanted to take a picture with them but was too shy to smile. Haha..

正彰化肉圓
彰化市陳陵路203號
+886 4 722 7868
They deliver!

FTV's Reporter's Day promo 民視91記者節宣傳片

2011-11-03T22:06:00.001+08:00

One night after coming back from a days long assignment, a cameraman from the programming department came to me and said, "hey quick, grab a script and come do a voice over for me. We're filming the promo for Reporter's Day." Dirty, smelly and tired, I said, "I'm really not feeling all that pretty." He said I looked perfect and then dragged me downstairs. Now I understand the effect he was going for. He wanted to show how hard we work to bring our audience the images that they see.

有一天晚上，剛出差回來
工程部的攝影大哥，星助哥說
”趕快，拿份稿子來過音，我們在拍記者節的宣傳片”
我又髒又臭又累的說，"現在真的很醜耶"
他說，”不會啦，這樣很好”
然後把我抓到剪接室去。
現在我了解他為什麼要我看起來那麼狼狽，
他希望呈現新聞工作者為了把第一手畫面帶給觀眾
真的很拼命。
謝謝星助哥！謝謝導演文權哥！

Hello Bello!

2011-11-02T00:24:00.001+08:00

We adopted Bello the Weimaraner from Sean of Animals Taiwan. It's his third day with Mom and Dad, and so far so good it seems. He's still getting used to the new environment.Apparently, these guys are quite smart. According to a dog intelligence ranking, Weims are 20 on the list, lower than Labs but higher than Boxers and Westies. But all of our dogs are smarter than average. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ifSudReeuM&feature=player_embedded

These guys are really intelligent indeed.

Bello 今天晚上趁爸爸媽媽不在家的時候

從桌上叼了一罐XO醬下去

和Oreo and King一起吃香的喝辣的。

重點是，他是把蓋子打開的

玻璃瓶沒破掉喔。

現在三隻一起在拉肚子，

獸醫說明天繼續拉就要去打針了。

Here's Oreo wanting to play the first day they met,

but Bello seems a bit too serious for such nonsense.

Photo info:

Canon Kiss X3

EF 35mm f/1.4 L USM

Aperture

Hakuna matata! OK的啦！

2011-10-25T23:31:00.000+08:00

太多事情還有所謂的”委屈”實在是無法度，所以乾脆自己降低期待心，繼續過日子就對了。朝好的方面想，反正一切都會過去嘛。Pearl妳說對不對？

Lowering expectations and learning to bite the bullet sometimes makes life easier. Everything good and bad will one day come to an end. Right, Pearl?

差一點又抱怨，還好有發現。
Almost started complaining again. Good thing I caught myself.

Dangerous words

2011-10-22T22:59:00.000+08:00

哇，有夠久沒更新部落格，真糟糕！

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onhWeCX-plQ

今天播了這則新聞，聽到75歲綜藝節目製作人說"電視節目好像是為我而設計所以我不會累"，加上這幾天看到同業把一名被操得唉唉叫的菜鳥記者主播在網路上罵翻，還好多人按讚，讓我覺得"累"或"辛苦"這些字真的不能掛嘴邊說自己。
其實新聞工作者都～很累，也都～很辛苦，互相看著互相心痛。
不過有時候聽別人多講幾次"累"，"為何我要比他們辛苦?" 就很傷氣勢，很想直接罵 "不然不要做啊，一直說一直說，影響我的工作情緒，別害我抓狂跟你吵架"。

我也發現，自己越講"累"，感覺越累。

所以
我不累！只是有點愛睏...
我不忙！只是覺得時間有點不夠用...

It's that wind again

2011-09-04T23:14:00.000+08:00

For a couple of weeks now, I've been feeling like something in my life is about to change again. I don't know what it is, but I just have this feeling something good is about to happen.

I wonder what it could be. Maybe a breakthrough in my career? Probably not in anchoring, because I have been going nowhere with that. There are serious problems with both the way I present and the way I'm presented.

On the other hand, fellow reporters, cameramen and producers are giving me good feedback about my Chinese travel features which air Saturdays. The 2200 news has also been re-running them on weeknights as well. For a small team of three (assigner, cameraman and me), I think we are doing pretty well. My writing, producing and hosting skills are improving.

My pictures are getting more interesting - less like snapshots and more like nicely composed photographs.

Also, I'm learning more and more about selling art.

Lots of developments!

So what is it? What is going to happen? I'm looking forward to finding out!

Multitasking

2011-09-03T23:05:00.000+08:00

I'm not busy, just inefficient!

其實，偶爾耍個寶，心情會更好～

Oreo & Uncle King - sleepy

2011-09-01T23:43:00.001+08:00

睡一半

Half in bed, half awake

舅舅與外甥女

Uncle and niece

我，很優雅。

I, am elegant.

地板好硬

This hardwood floor is...hard

A king's smile

國王的微笑

My very first time lapse video 我的曠時攝影處女作

2011-08-29T22:14:00.000+08:00

One afternoon at FTV News when I was really supposed to be writing a travel feature, I could not resist the want to try a time lapse video. I am blaming it on the the whole new world of photography that's opened up to me on Google+!

When I have sunsets and stars down pat, I'm going to buy a dolly, motor and advanced controller!

I'm totally hooked!

Here is the link if you don't see the video.

I followed the guide for time lapse that Timothy Allen wrote here.
Thank you, Tim!

某一天應該在寫旅遊專題時，我卻在辦公室玩曠時攝影...
第一次嘗試這種攝影/影片製作手法，現在愛上了
日出和星星都拍得出來的時候，我就要去買dolly, motor, 還有 advanced controller!
同事和朋友們，如果看不懂Tim 寫的，來找我。
我弄給你們看！

初めて微速度撮影を試してみました。
楽しかったです！
これはある日に原稿を書いていたはずなのに、
たまらなくて、微速度撮影をやってみました。
すごく気に入った！

Family Saturday

2011-08-15T12:00:00.000+08:00

Saturdays I usually reserve for family. So after anchoring the morning news, I join them for the afternoon and evening. This weekend would have been Grandma Weng's birthday if she were still with here. Mom, Dad and Apollo's family went tomb sweeping and then we all met up for lunch in Tamsui. For some reason, everyone showed up wearing some shade of pink. Grandma did like pink...

http://youtu.be/IQ20QNikHl4

http://youtu.be/IXtqBCpcFV4

And for dinner, it was oden with Mom and Dad, together with whiskey as old as me.

佃權
台北市延吉街136號
+886 2 8771 8272
Dianquan
136 Yanji Street, Taipei

open evenings around 1800 to 0100/0200

Father's Day 88節

2011-08-09T00:01:00.001+08:00

In Taiwan, Father's Day is celebrated on 8 August, because 88 (pronounced ba ba) sounds like "papa."

Here is Dad enjoying a glass of wine while waiting for Mom to arrive. We had dinner together at Abu's Brasserie.

Jeff says Dad is ready for GQ! Then we must give credit to Mom, his stylist. Mom makes all the decisions in the house, including which car he drives. She has very good taste.

兒子的鞋子長牙齒，爸爸的鞋子長腳趾 funky shoe family

2011-08-06T22:27:00.003+08:00

兒子的鞋子長牙齒，爸爸的鞋子長腳趾

真是怪咖一族

;)

(my dear cousin Apollo and his son, Ethanasaurus)

Confessions of a phony traveler 山寨旅人的招供

2011-08-05T00:30:00.002+08:00

(Beimen salt pan, Tainan, Taiwan)

I love my job of storytelling, and I especially love what I get to do these days - travel feature stories. But I have a confession to make. I really don't know much about travel. Because of work, I have pictures from all over Taiwan and occasionally other countries, but honestly I have yet to feel like a traveler. What I do feel like is an information center. People come asking me for ideas of where to go and what to do.

Perhaps the problem is, when I am on location filming feature stories, I'm generally quite stressed out. Surprised? In addition to dealing with the usual bag of problems that come up, making sure we have enough to shoot, figuring out how to things come to life on camera, talking to our guide, talking to the locals, remembering to get in front of the camera to say interesting things or make transitions, etc etc etc, I am also greedy and try to take pictures. Not to mention our work hours are often well over 12 hours a day when we're in filming and post-production for these stories. Of course what we show in the story is how a normal person would enjoy themselves while they're there. See? I even have to get in front of the camera and act "normal." So how do I enjoy traveling when I am doing all of that? I haven't figured it out yet. The beautiful sights, wonderful people and interesting things end up in my mind to be all but a faint memory overshadowed by fatigue and stress.

Sometimes I find myself looking at the most amazing sight but worrying about the next itinerary. I feel like such a phony traveler.

Maybe when I get better at my job and I can do it with my eyes half closed, I'll be able to "travel" and work at the same time. Wanting to go home when I'm looking at something beautiful is just not right.

So in an effort to make myself more efficient at hosting, reporting, writing and field producing these features, I started watching travel shows...last week. This means I still have a long way to go, but I think it is a good start. And it was also really good to realize that my job has gone from mostly daily reporting to mostly travel feature reporting, while still anchoring Saturday morning news. I should learn to enjoy this before it is over.

我很愛我這份講故事的工作，
尤其是最近的旅遊專題。

但。。。我想要招供。

其實我對”旅遊”這回事，幾乎什麼都不懂。
因為工作，我常有機會拍一些台灣各地，
甚至其他國家景色的照片，
但是我一點都不是所謂的旅遊達人，
只是偶而變成大家的遊客中心，做專題外，
也成為親朋好友或同事的旅遊諮詢服務。

或許是問題在於拍旅遊專題時，
壓力通常很大。
很驚訝嗎？
因為經常得處理一些出乎意料的狀況，
擔心拍攝內容是否足夠，
想辦法讓要介紹的東西在螢幕上活過來，
跟協拍單位討論，跟當地民眾互動，
記得在鏡頭前說話，做轉場，
還有，因為我很貪心，還想順便拍照，
所以工作時，真的是忙翻了。
更不用說我們在拍攝和後製的時候，
工作時間經常超過12小時，
所以那些漂亮的景色，好玩的地方，
有趣的東西在我腦海裡，
一大部分都被勞累和壓力的土石流掩埋，
幾乎要拿出身命探視儀去尋找才寫得出稿子。
當然，新聞畫面呈現的都是正常人的感受，
好玩的反應。
我還得忙著在鏡頭前裝個正常人。。。
這樣怎麼可能享受旅遊？

有時候看著山明水秀的景色卻想著下個行程，
我覺得我是個山寨旅人。

因此，我決定趕快讓自己在旅遊專題上進步，
有效率的主持，採訪，撰稿，現場製作，
要能至少閉著一支眼睛做事，
或許這樣就能稍微享受到工作給我的旅遊機會。
所以上禮拜開始研究不同旅遊節目，
參考別人怎麼做，讓自己早一點發現”我進步了！”

說到發現，最近感覺到我的工作內容好像稍微轉型了，
之前主要跑每日新聞，現在主要做旅遊專題，
也維持週六晨間新聞的播報，
想一想，雖然睡得更少，但這樣。。。非常好！
不知道現在的狀況能維持多久，
但希望能快點上手，享受邊工作邊旅遊。

(Chihkan Tower, Tainan, Taiwan)

Working hard

2011-08-04T18:33:00.000+08:00

Naps help when we're working hard!

I sleep with my chin on a towel when I have to anchor because my seat back isn't tall enough for me to lean back or to use a neck pillow. If I put my head down on the desk, I will have to wake up earlier to go get my make-up fixed.

Napping like this is uncomfortable, but it keeps me from sleeping for too long and ending up groggy. Works well!

Well Liao, my coworker, took these pictures and was probably laughing his head off but I was so deep in sleep, maybe dreaming of what dessert will be at lunch later, that I didn't even stir. Embarrassing but pretty funny, wouldn't you say? Thank you, Well!

Nice new film from Taiwan's tourism board

2011-07-29T00:55:00.000+08:00

http://youtu.be/KZqSW2P3k9w

http://youtu.be/96R_0xUgPtI

Beimen salt farms 北門鹽田

2011-07-27T00:59:00.001+08:00

Some composition practice at Beimen, Tainan, Taiwan. These are salt farms that were abandoned by the industry in 2002, and then revived for tourism two years later. I jumped into it and raked, piled and carried salt. A fun activity for kids and grownups alike.

Sorry for the absence. Been manning the night shift, filming and writing (for work) almost nonstop in the past few weeks. I really need a holiday, but no time for that right now either! However I am managing to slip in a few minutes here and there to peek at my Google+. Search me out! Michella Jade Weng is the name.

Mentaiko in Taipei 博多もつ鍋やまや

2011-07-07T22:57:00.000+08:00

Found a mentaiko place in Taipei! Will be going back to this restaurant again when I that occasional craving for super salty fish roe. Undecided on the other food (including the beef offal hotpot) they serve here, but the mentaiko was not bad at all!

博多もつ鍋やまや Hakata Motsunabe Yamaya 博多牛腸鍋

(seems to be the Taipei branch of the Japanese chain from Hakata)

#12, Alley 32, Lane 216, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei

北市忠孝東路四段216巷32弄12號
+886 2 2778 8876
closed Mondays 週一公休

Here's Kevin who happily skipped class so I wouldn't have to eat alone. He had the 明太子茶漬け, which was delicious!

New glasses!

2011-07-06T13:49:00.000+08:00

Works well with a big smile! What do you think? Fashionably nerdy?

Jacques Durand Hoapinsu (brown/amber, matte exterior, glossy interior)
Milan 米蘭米蘭
#88, Sec 1, Da-an Road,
Da-An District, Taipei
北市大安區大安路一段88號
＋886 2 2741 4291

Optician/optometrist 驗光師
Formosa Optical, Tamsui store, Mr Lin 寶島眼鏡行淡水店林經理
#44 Zhongshan Road,
Tamsui, New Taipei City
新北市淡水區中山路44號
＋886 2 2629 4756

Thanks, Dad!

I made Oreo model for me (before I got prescription lenses installed, no cookie or animal was harmed in the process of this photo session, maybe just 裝瘋ed).

Travel show promo clip 旅遊節目宣傳影片

2011-06-27T00:55:00.000+08:00

FTV's new promo for the mini (English) travel show.

Our travel show in English airs Friday nights on channel 53 at 2357.
The Mandarin version as a news story (just slightly different than the show) airs Saturday mornings at 0600 and is repeated throughout the day on channels 53 and sometimes 6 and digital too.

Thanks for watching!

這是民視英語旅遊節目的新宣傳片

英語旅遊節目每週五晚上11點57分播出，

也有作成國語新聞版本，

每週六早上6點首播，一整天陸續重播

謝謝大家的支持！一起來旅行台灣！

http://youtu.be/Hq9-sxxKdZA

On assignment in Dapeng Bay 大鵬灣採訪

2011-06-27T00:37:00.001+08:00

This week's travel feature. Stay tuned!

Debut Cafe, Shimen 石門德佈咖啡廳

2011-06-22T14:31:00.001+08:00

Designed by ceramics artist Zhang Geming (章格銘), this looks like a great place to spend several hours. Most of the light comes through the windows, it's spacious and it's clean. Not sure how comfortable the student chairs will be after a while, but I'd like to give it a try sometime, perhaps on our next tombsweeping trip to Jinshan.

If you're a fan (like me), you can maybe take a peek and see what Mr Zhang is working on on the bottom floor of the school. If he's there. Maybe. Pity he doesn't sell any of his work here (yet).

http://youtu.be/KZn2PPdcQ1c

Debut Café (Shimen branch)
#47-2 Alilao, Shimen, Xinbei City
former auxiliary campus Qianhua Elementary School

+886 2 2638 2578

德佈咖啡 (石門店)
新北市石門區阿里荖47-2號
原乾華國小分部

Thanks, P-chan!

Ho Chi Minh - Kem Bach Dang coconut ice-cream

2011-06-21T20:24:00.000+08:00

Ic-cream made with coconut milk, scooped into a coconut, topped with fresh watermelon, strawberry, dragon fruit and candied pineapple. I thought the ice-cream was just plain vanilla, and didn't find it all that special 'til the lady saw my puzzled face and taught me to scrape off the meat on the inside of the coconut and eat it together with the ice cream. Ahhhhh, much better it was. Gonna tell them to hold the chocolate sauce next time. Too sweet for me.

Kem Bach Dang
26-28 Lê Lợi, Phường Bến Nghé, Quận 1
Hồ Chí Minh
+84 8 8292707

Ho Chi Minh - street view

2011-06-21T19:58:00.003+08:00

The first impression I had of the streets of Ho Chi Minh was the mopeds! After that, one thing after another, including hawkers and night markets and plastic chairs kept reminding me of Taipei, perhaps in different periods of economic development. Binh Thay Market was flooded with people and everyday goods from backpacks to fresh food to be sold. When not busy, some moms helped their kids with homework while sitting on red, plastic stools next to towers of shrimp chips, and some young people tended to each others' acne problems...

One fruit I saw for the first time was what the locals call "bom bom." It looked small, round potatoes, but strung up like grapes. The skin is thick and soft, the meat tastes like pomelo, the texture like lychee, but the seed is tiny enough to accidentally swallow. It was good!

We did't get much time to explore the city, including its historical, multi-cultured sites, but I hope to next time!

Ho Chi Minh - Mekong

2011-06-21T19:29:00.000+08:00

We had a one-day whirlwind tour of Ho Chi Minh, half of which we spent in the Mekong Delta. We got on a motorboat to an island for tourists where handicrafts were sold while children of shop owners played nearby and local fruits like rambutan and jackfruit were served with people performing traditional sounding music in front of us. Although it couldn't have been more touristy, the canoe ride back to the motorboat was fun.

Video of canoe ride: http://youtu.be/p84oFGvJZuA?hd=1

Jakarta -Ancol artist village

2011-06-19T13:04:00.000+08:00

Though touristy, visiting the Ancol artist village was a good decision. Mom and Dad bought wooden ducks for their bookshelf and I got to see a couple of local artists paint and carve in huts and stalls. I bet it would look like a performing art fair on weekend days. Too bad it was a weekday and since there weren't any vacationers (aside from us), almost all the artists were away on holiday.

Jakarta - cuisine: Spicy cow brain and stinky beans.

2011-06-15T02:42:00.002+08:00

While most of the food in Jakarta seemed to be spicy, the little choice I had left was somewhat of a comfort - it was not chock full of garlic like it is often the case in much of southeast Asia. Garlic does not agree with my stomach.

Our new friend Amele took us to a Padang restaurant, where dishes are literally piled up in front of customers. Once we sat down, the food came so shockingly fast it was almost like a performance. Pile pile pile pile pile. Clang clang clang clang clang. Table not big enough? Servers immediately pulled the next table over and kept piling until practically an order of each offering they had was served. We eat what we want, and they only charge for what is eaten, even if it is one fried chicken wing and the order came with two. I don't know what they do with the other half of the order when that happens. Amele assured me they don't sell it to other customers, and she guessed that it becomes lunch or dinner for restaurant staff. While menu items include the common grilled chicken, it also has some delicacies an adventurous eater would love to challenge - stewed cow brain and spicy sator beans (petai), which makes your urine smell really strange (they say it has detoxification effects).

This is what a website says about sator beans:

Packed with protein, potassium, iron and fibre, the beans are widely believed to offer a number of health benefits and effectively conquer a range of ailments including high blood pressure, PMS and constipation.

Unfortunately, there are some less appealing side effects. Similar to other beans, their complex carbohydrate content can cause strong-smelling flatulence. And similar to asparagus, certain amino acids found in sator add a green tinge to urine, as well as intensifying the smell.

While the health benefits sound good enough to make me eat more of those stinky beans, I just could not get used to the taste.

Mr Chen of Taiwan's trade office in Jakarta took us to a Peranakan/Nyonya (a mix of Chinese, Malay and other cuisines) restaurant one night, and while the food was interesting, the decor was what really caught my eye. I have something for lanterns, and this restaurant was full of them.

Kedai Tiga Nyonya
Jl. KH. Wahid Hasyim No. 73
Menteng, Jakarta
+62 21 316 0971

Slideshow: http://youtu.be/BMsqVs86JBw?hd=1

Jakarta - Istiqlal Mosque

2011-06-13T23:34:00.000+08:00

Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta is the largest mosque in Southeast Asia. The first floor can hold 20,000 people, and the entire mosque can accommodate 120,000.

But I was most impressed with the smile of these two Chinese and Indonesian girls who happened to be there on a field trip.

Jakarta - faces

2011-06-13T01:55:00.000+08:00

Live, traditional music was played in the lobby of the Sultan Hotel, and the Balinese sculptures are at the Suharto Museum, where gifts to former president Suharto by locals and foreign heads of state are on display.

Cafe Batavia, Jakarta

2011-06-10T23:54:00.000+08:00

Cafe Batavia is a restored 19th century (during Dutch rule) building in the old town area in northern Jakarta. I would love to come back here another dozen times.

info from:

http://www.expat.or.id/restaurants/cafebatavia.html

Café Batavia
Taman Fatahillah
(across the square from the Fatahillah Museum)
Kota, Jakarta, Indonesia
Tel +62 21 691-5531

Open 0800 to 0200 Monday-Friday
Weekends 24 hours

Jakarta - first impressions

2011-06-08T23:54:00.000+08:00

Hello from Jakarta! Dad is on a roadshow in Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh with his computer association and let me tag along. You can see through the morning grumpiness how Mom's excited too.

We left Tamsui at 0600 and finally got into our hotel in Jakarta at 1600. The pace of life here is definitely much slower than Taipei. We were in line at immigration for an hour. Sat in traffic for an hour to the hotel. Sat in traffic for another hour to where we had dinner. And another hour of traffic back. OK, I exaggerated a little bit about traffic, but the roads have been congested since we arrived in the afternoon and even after we finished dinner at 2100. Waiting seems to be a common theme everywhere we have been.

The attache said that 200,000 cars and 7,000,000 motorcycles are expected to be sold this year in Indonesia, and that with a population of 240 million, Indonesia is the fourth largest populated country in the world. Lots of people and vehicles, but not enough roads and other infrastructure.

Words I keep hearing from the attache and the lady from the trade office: dangerous, unsafe, corrupt government, poor infrastructure, poor sanitation, low efficiency.

What a positive first impression... There has to be something nice about Jakarta and Indonesians besides money that can be made from them... My mission in the next four days is to find something positive or interesting to write about.

Hope to learn and see more tomorrow.

Oh! Dad bought mangosteens and salaks for everyone after dinner.

I've had mangosteens before and like them very much, but salak was a first. It tasted like a combination of starfruit and natto. It's a different kind of stink than durian. Quite interesting!

Off day, me day, sketching day

2011-05-26T21:51:00.000+08:00

Had a fantastic Me day. Slept until noon, stayed home and sketched. How do I put color into this? Help!

I have 9+14+14 days of off/vacation days. Let's see if I can clean them all out by January. Hopefully this means lots of time to sketch and do art.

Excited~~~

2010 Euro green building assignment reunion at Pinknic

2011-05-26T18:14:00.000+08:00

http://youtu.be/1eW2g_mzY0s?hd=1

Restaurant was Sarah's pick:
Pinknic
#9, Alley 27, Lane 216, Section 4, Zhongxiao E. Road, Taipei
台北市忠孝東路4段216巷27弄9號
+886 2 2711 0820
http://www.facebook.com/hi.pinknic

The asparagus poached egg ciabatta sandwich was good~~

Looking back, (and having this year's to compare to now) last year's Euro green building assignment was one of the most grueling ones I've ever been on. But it was also one of the most rewarding and fun times I've had. I feel lucky to have gotten to go, to see the things that I did, and made the new friends I met.

See you guys again in July!

Happy birthday, sempai's!

2011-05-20T02:04:00.000+08:00

http://www.youtube.com/embed/RryPOyzjz9k

I especially enjoy being with sempai's.

Happy birthday, Well and 啟成哥！

Ziplock bags - great for travel 拉鍊袋也是旅行的好夥伴

2011-05-17T17:43:00.000+08:00

Great for non-food items! Mama taught me this.

This is my on-the-go medicine cabinet. Works great. I cut up the packaging, leaving the important information, and put that along with the medicine and instructions inside a sandwich sized zip bag. I have Rx for allergies, mild/severe colds, mild/severe stomach irritations, general pain killers, indigestion. I also have masks, cough drops and pocket warmers in there. All of these things go in one giant zip which goes in my suitcase. It takes up very little space. The zip bags are low friction, so they're real easy to sort through when taken out and put on a bed or table.

I get to travel here and there sometimes, so I have lots of loose change and things of the sort from different countries. Everything goes in its own marked zip bag. Since I am in Japan quite often, I have an old wallet I use just for Japan. All of these things, including passport and other travel documents go in an old iBook neoprene bag with my name (designed by Mama) on it.

Heading home

2011-05-14T07:20:00.000+08:00

See you later, Stockholm.

Little Mermaid in Copenhagen

2011-05-12T05:05:00.000+08:00

Today was not exactly highly successful or rewarding. Tomorrow will be better. We left Copenhagen in the afternoon and are now in Stockholm.

Hello Sweden!

2011-05-11T04:20:00.000+08:00

Hello from Sweden! Well, writing from Denmark, but we were mostly in Sweden today. We're doing a series on urban redevelopment and green buildings in Denmark and Sweden. As usual, the itinerary is crazy and we were so busy filming that we didn't really have time to take other pictures.

Exhausted, but happy.

:D

Happy mother's day!

2011-05-09T02:42:00.000+08:00

It was a busy Mother's day weekend with Mom's family, then Dad's. Mama and Grandma's parties, flowers and presents were...long distance.

Happy Mother's day!

http://youtu.be/4gmGqQw5xRE

http://youtu.be/iy2O74iFlFU

Happy birthday, FTV! 民視生日快樂！

2011-05-06T01:59:00.000+08:00

http://youtu.be/CZl6jEAVXCk

The first of several versions of the commercial for our 14th anniversary. I'm in it for half a second, so try not to blink. ;)

Bring your own cup and get a discount 自備環保杯店家給優惠

2011-05-05T21:11:00.000+08:00

http://youtu.be/OSlrhQBgDG4

Starting from 1 May 2010, fast food and beverage chains in Taiwan are required to give discounts to customers who bring their own beverage containers, or give cash back to customers who recycle cups from the establishment.

Thank you, Lucky

2011-05-03T03:05:00.000+08:00

http://youtu.be/v__j3TB6nN0?hd=1

This was Lucky's last summer with us. She passed away 27 March at 16 years of age. She was our first four-legged family member. Sixteen summers ago when we were in Taiwan for holiday, she appeared on our street in Tianmu. She was about three months old, according to the vet. She was a stray, purebred mutt and Mom allowed us to bring her home, and then back to the States with us. Where we used to live, there was really tall grass, and she loved running (more like frolicking) through it. To keep her head above the grass line, she'd have to jump very high, and boy could she bounce. Her movement looked that of something between a squirrel and a deer and a dog. She was very graceful and a lot of fun to look at, especially when she had her ears tucked back.

(image via Google/SFGate)

Before Miffy came along, she loved playing with Megan, the black pointer mutt with a white tipped tail that lived up the street. Every time we asked her, "where's Megan," she'd tip her head and turn her ears this way and that. If we ask her again, "where's your friend Meggie?" she'd tip her head the other way and then start running in circles, knowing it was time go for a visit. After Miffy came along, we went hiking a lot. There were no sidewalks where we lived, but there were trails for people and horses on which to walk and trot. Miffy would chase after deer, but since Lucky would stay close and keep me company. Sometimes we would walk to Megan's house, and sometimes we would go to Westwind Barn to look at horses or venture into the nearby Byrne Preserve, which had a hidden valley that was a cool escape from the hot summer sun.

(image via Google/Western City/)

At home, there was a space on the second floor of the house that had only three things - a sofa, an end table and a window that was about three meters wide. It was for made for looking down the hill, across San Francisco Bay and over to Fremont after the morning fog lifted. Lucky sometimes spent entire afternoons on that sofa, staring out that window. I always wondered what she was thinking about. She was a really smart dog. She was the mastermind between every fight and shouting match with other dogs. She used to bark and Miffy would come running, hurling down our front lawn hill like a big black blob of something best not messed with. Then Lucky would step back and let Miffy scare off whoever was walking by. Lucky was like the mafia boss and Miffy was her henchman. But one time, Miffy was not around when Lucky barked. The intruding dog then chased Lucky all the way home. Usually, the garage door was open and the girls often came in through there. But that time it was closed. Dad happened to be by the window and saw Lucky running for her life, looking like she was thinking, "where is Miffy my bodyguard?!!!" Up the hill she came, and when she realized the garage door was closed and that other dog was not slowing down, her expression (according to Dad) was "oh, sh*t."

Time flies. That was at least 13 years ago, before I went away to university.

After Mom and Dad moved back to Taipei 11 years ago, they decided to bring Lucky and Miffy with them. What a life these two had. They've been on planes, were driven around in Jaguars, BMWs and Mercedes Benzs. My goodness. It makes me want to reincarnate into one of Mom's dogs in my next life.

Lucky was our first dog and first four-legged family member. But more than a pet and something to play with, I think she was sent to look after us. We never really had to worry about her, and it was her that taught us how to care for and give love to someone who needed it.

Lucky, thank you for 16 years of love and lessons.

http://youtu.be/chd7SyX6jbo

http://youtu.be/i83EYPWuS3U

Taking part in FTV News' new commercial

2011-05-02T00:57:00.001+08:00

Here are Paul and I struggling to stay awake. We were there for about an hour, and I think we'll get 2 seconds of screen time each. Can't wait to see the final cut!

Thanks Jiayang for the pictures! Pictures taken on an HTC Desire HD.

Alive and kicking!

Douhua 台南修安豆花

Chinese New Year vacation start!

Miaoli's Hakka rice ball soup 苗栗的客家湯圓

Tunnel adventures 2 隧道探險2

Tunnel adventure 隧道探險

這輩子還不完

Christmas for busy people 忙碌的東京聖誕節

And the present is... 結果禮物是...

Christmas present 聖誕節禮物

Lugang eats - rice noodles 鹿港小吃 - 麵線糊

Baolai hot spring travels 寶來溫泉旅

Thoughts on recent media disaster 華視梁春姬事件感想

Tasty fruits 好吃的水果

Next TV interviews Judy Ongg 壹電視專訪翁倩玉

令人無言的媒體作品...

Persevere and hope for the best 走自己的路

Xiami xiami rong 蝦瞇蝦瞇容

Paiwan glass beads and leather 排灣琉璃珠與皮革

Blacksmithing in Taitung 台東打鐵 鍛冶体験

媽媽的春聯

Moo! Got milk?

Dogs sleeping warm as toast

My drinking buddy at Miru Yakiniku 米魯燒肉

What a morning 棚內棚外兩樣情

Skyping with Pearl

Judy Ongg 翁倩玉 ジュディ・オング Hsinchu concert pictures 3

The "cool" girl 傳說中的帥妹

Taitung foods 台東美食

Hello from Taitung 台東

Kimono 和服

Writing is making me hungry 寫稿寫到肚子餓

Judy Ongg 翁倩玉 ジュディ・オング concert pictures 3

Good morning and good night 早安晚安

Play hard, work hard 先甘後苦

Seediq travels 賽德克溫泉旅遊

Judy Ongg 翁倩玉 ジュディ・オング concert pictures 2

Meinong paper umbrellas 美濃油紙傘

Symbol of love 真情告白

Maolin Crow Butterflies 茂林紫斑蝶

Mahogany tunnel 桃花心木林隧道

Saturday breakfast 星期六的早餐

Judy Ongg 翁倩玉 ジュディ・オング concert pictures 1

Lishan - Undiscovered beauty 梨山原來這麼美

Sock zebra 襪子斑馬

Autumnal Passion 秋天的狂戀

Brrr in Lishan 梨山好冷！

Changhua's Bawan 彰化肉圓

FTV's Reporter's Day promo 民視91記者節宣傳片

Hello Bello!

Hakuna matata! OK的啦！

Dangerous words

It's that wind again

Multitasking

Oreo & Uncle King - sleepy

My very first time lapse video 我的曠時攝影處女作

Family Saturday

Father's Day 88節

兒子的鞋子長牙齒，爸爸的鞋子長腳趾 funky shoe family

Confessions of a phony traveler 山寨旅人的招供

Working hard

Nice new film from Taiwan's tourism board

Beimen salt farms 北門鹽田

Mentaiko in Taipei 博多もつ鍋やまや

New glasses!

Travel show promo clip 旅遊節目宣傳影片

On assignment in Dapeng Bay 大鵬灣採訪

Debut Cafe, Shimen 石門德佈咖啡廳

Ho Chi Minh - Kem Bach Dang coconut ice-cream

Ho Chi Minh - street view

Ho Chi Minh - Mekong

Jakarta -Ancol artist village

Jakarta - cuisine: Spicy cow brain and stinky beans.

Jakarta - Istiqlal Mosque

Jakarta - faces

Cafe Batavia, Jakarta

Jakarta - first impressions

Off day, me day, sketching day

2010 Euro green building assignment reunion at Pinknic

Happy birthday, sempai's!

Blacksmithing in Taitung 台東打鐵鍛冶体験

Judy Ongg 翁倩玉ジュディ・オング Hsinchu concert pictures 3

Judy Ongg 翁倩玉ジュディ・オング concert pictures 3

Judy Ongg 翁倩玉ジュディ・オング concert pictures 2

Judy Ongg 翁倩玉ジュディ・オング concert pictures 1

Ziplock bags - great for travel 拉鍊袋也是旅行的好夥伴

Bring your own cup and get a discount 自備環保杯店家給優惠