tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-170460372012-01-15T22:43:53.516+08:00Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.comBlogger1381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-63900209264345238462010-04-18T21:19:00.004+08:002010-04-19T14:54:43.410+08:00

After 21 enjoyable years, the old family homestead in Dalhousie home is up for sale. My parents, sister and I moved back to Calgary once we left Vancouver (Richmond) BC in 1989. After some wilderness years of instability, it was nice to have a real home to settle down in. Lots of good times and memories here.Though I moved out in 1998, I was always coming back to visit, even for the years away in

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-83438621951778829982010-02-23T22:47:00.002+08:002010-03-03T14:59:48.637+08:00

In case you were wondering about some of the characters on the banner of our blog: 孟楷 = Mengkai, Gareth's Chinese name. 嘉倩 (Chiachien) is Vivian's Chinese name. 孟田 (Mengtian) is Fiona's Chinese name. I have also taken to using Mengkai in my email address, my Twitter handle and elsewhere online.The Meng (孟) comes from Mengzi (孟子) aka Mencius, the famous Chinese philosopher to follow Confucius (

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-22748278677810826042010-02-04T21:19:00.002+08:002010-02-06T03:26:28.385+08:00

Poor neglected blog. Though I spend more time on Facebook and Twitter these days, I would like to do more blogging and video editing. I also have a large backlog of digital photos to review and print out. Who has time for all this stuff? Nonetheless, I recently found time to compile a video of highlights from the latter half of 2009. Some are from home in Calgary, but some are from our summer

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-7653209813535780492009-08-29T20:07:00.003+08:002009-09-24T12:29:10.591+08:00

On August 1 we hopped into our van and embarked on our summer holiday: A road trip from Calgary to Vancouver Island and back. We stopped in the Okanagan valley both ways, enjoying some delicious orchard fruit and wine tasting. In Vancouver we visited a few familiar old sites, plus reconnected with my old friend Jan from jr. high school. From there we hopped a ferry north to the Sunshine Coast,

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-22844280532125745532009-07-15T20:34:00.001+08:002009-07-16T14:37:12.155+08:00

星期天終於看到失蹤好幾天的太陽，約了新搬來卡加立的Greg和Amy一家去班夫和露意絲湖。Gareth想去爬湖邊的一座小山。他上網找了資料，從網站資料上看起來不難的健行，卻快要了我的老命。Gareth也很厲害，背著Fiona爬完全程。Fiona走了一小段，但是路真的很陡，兩條小腿很快就累了。我十分能理解，因為我自己也想找人背我。到了終點湖邊後，Gareth竟還要往上爬，只有Greg的大兒子Eric願意跟著走。留我們五個人在湖邊苦苦守候，我還得看著在湖邊玩水的Fiona，免的她跑到湖中央。It was nice weather last Sunday, so we all took a day trip to beautiful Lake Louise in Banff National Park. What an outing! Just after arriving at the

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-55974752475028517382009-05-24T13:29:00.000+08:002009-05-25T13:42:27.187+08:00

Road trip for Easter: We drove out to Windermere BC with Mum, to visit our relatives Mike & Siri Tilling at the Village Inn MotelStopped in Radium on the way, went for a little hike. Fiona is just about too large for her baby backpack now Stopping at Marble Canyon along the #93 highway. Although it was dry in the city, up in the high mountain areas we still saw lots of thick snow Fiona after

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-21951658399011532202009-01-30T19:21:00.000+08:002009-02-01T07:38:11.279+08:00

The memorial service for Dad last Saturday January 24 went pretty smoothly. We believe Dad would have been pleased that so many old friends and colleagues attended. There were a lot of people there who we hadn't seen in at least 10 years. Gareth went through a lot of old photographs and created this slide show which was broadcast at the start of the service:Quite a few other people couldn't make

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-67738628398331817802009-01-16T13:26:00.003+08:002009-02-01T07:49:08.887+08:00

Edwin David Lane MorganFebruary 5, 1935 ~ January 7, 2009[Obituary from the Calgary Herald]David Morgan passed away at the Foothills Hospital on January 7, 2009 with his family at his side. David is survived by his wife Janet, daughter Jane, son Gareth, daughter-in-law Vivian and granddaughter Fiona. David was born in Surrey, England, and led a colourful life. He spent most of his childhood in

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-53073326073629152352008-11-12T21:21:00.000+08:002008-11-13T12:33:17.797+08:00

On November 10 Jane graduated from the University of Calgary with her degree in sociology. We went down to be with her on her special day. Waving the mace around to commence the ceremonyThere's Jane! Right side, far end, third from the backJane shows up on the big screen as she prepares to walk across the stage Shaking hands with the ChancellorFamily photo (Fiona was at Maya's house for

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-37731474714871590512008-11-03T20:49:00.007+08:002008-11-11T03:26:18.851+08:00

Fiona turned 3 years old on November 3rd. My how the time flies. For her special day we invited some little friends over for a party. We made some crafts, played games, had snacks and cake, plus opened several presents. Thanks to Mackenzie, Anna and Maya (and their mamas!) for coming over to enjoy the special day with us. Vivian also worked very hard making the food, plus special Princess

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-9791598370998575062008-09-27T19:06:00.003+08:002009-05-25T14:14:38.008+08:00

我們在卡加利的B&B(民宿)正式開張了。這是我們B&B的網頁 :  http://www.bbcanada.com/jayandrabbit請大家告訴大家。若有朋友正計畫來加拿大，卡加利，請推薦我們，我們一定熱情招待！After much tidying and planning, our B&B is open and ready for business. All the details can be seen here: http://www.bbcanada.com/jayandrabbitIf you or anyone you know is traveling in Alberta and needs a place to stay, check out "The Jay and Rabbit"! Why "The Jay and Rabbit"? We chose the

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-12258405080446608542008-08-22T19:02:00.001+08:002008-08-30T07:06:19.432+08:00

Some of you asked what I've been doing for my new job here in Canada. Answer: I've been working as a content specialist for an international online banking company called Neteller. We've got some interesting new software and services which will be available to consumers later this year. However, as of today you can take a sneak peek at this online demo our department whipped up recently.

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-76136726520761639132008-07-31T14:28:00.000+08:002008-07-31T14:32:48.381+08:00

Here's the link to my new photo & video album. Because it's easier to upload stuff.這是我的新相簿。歡迎上去看看最近的照片和影片。http://chiachien.multiply.com/

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-77743561411239097752008-07-16T13:34:00.001+08:002008-07-16T13:47:52.629+08:00

My Mum is great -- she is very good at gardening, among other things. I thought it was time to give her some credit here, and show off some of her gardening work. She surely makes our house a much prettier place to live Recently she bought a new car, a Toyota Yaris. Here are some of the flowers she planted in front of our house Here's what the front garden flower bed looks like Great bunches of

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-69755325698153169612008-05-24T22:23:00.001+08:002008-05-26T13:15:29.300+08:00

Guess what? Gareth is working again at last! It feels good to go back to work at a real office job again, after a longer-than-expected hiatus (over 7 months). As some of you may know, our time spent in Canada so far has had a significant number of challenges. It isn't cheap to live here in Calgary, and often we didn't know where our provision was coming from. But on the positive side I was able

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-23986728087320745422008-03-05T15:52:00.001+08:002008-04-02T16:16:34.670+08:00

經由一個在台灣的美國朋友的介紹，認識了Melonie。Melonie介紹我到這一個很棒的媽媽小組。每個星期一早上我們會在一個咖啡店碰面，小朋友在地下室玩，每一次會有一個媽媽留在下面看孩子，其餘的媽媽就到一樓喝咖啡談媽媽經。很棒吧！讓媽媽可以有喘息的機會。這裡的照片是在Lea家拍的。因為咖啡店在裝修，我們只好去Lea家玩。Lea是這個媽媽小組的招集人。 這是大概兩個多月前拍的。Through our American friend in Taipei, Matt, we met his high school friend, Melonie. She introduced me to this Mom’s group. They meet every Monday morning and take turns looking after the kids when all the

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-4575002061213859342008-03-04T21:12:00.000+08:002008-03-05T13:23:39.939+08:00

Makes no difference where I go / You're the best hometown I know / Hello Calgary, hello Calgary (eeee!) / Channels 2 and 7 love youuuuuWell I hope someone out there besides me remembers the TV jingle above. That was from back in the day when Calgary's Global station was independent CFAC, KangaROOS sneakers and fluorescent legwarmers were all the rage at school, and the city skyline looked a bit

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-37957468623571467672008-02-29T15:21:00.000+08:002008-03-05T13:22:04.772+08:00

柷大家新年快樂。雖然已經三月了，回顧一下一月的照片吧！Happy New Year to everyone! I know it's March now, but it's time to share some old photos from this past January.孟田喜歡躺在雪裡做"雪天使"。Fiona loves making "snow angels"走累了，就趴在雪橇上讓媽媽拉回家I'm tired. Mama, pull me home.購物中心裡的車車，可以讓媽媽好好的逛街買東西I love the strollers in the malls. They're the only way I can get some shopping done.企鵝，你要乖乖，帽子不可以拿下來，媽媽會生氣喔！Penguin, you'd better keep this hat

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-29818733156692022332008-02-22T13:47:00.000+08:002008-03-05T13:19:14.042+08:00

(其實四個月前就該刊這一篇的，我實在太會拖了。不過，有總比沒有好吧！)孟田兩歲了。我教她練習聽懂並回答「我兩歲。」用英文和中文。中文很快就學會了，英文卻一直跟著我重複「How old are you?」我台灣的家人竟然買了一個蛋糕，在電腦前用視訊幫孟田唱生日快樂歌。還在電腦前吃了起來，讓孟田直吞口水。因為還不知道在這裡如何幫小朋友辦生日派對，我只有簡單的請了爺爺奶奶和姑姑以及我的好朋友Heidy一家人來孟田的生日晚餐。爺爺和奶奶買了一個超大的企鵝，(還有其他的禮物)孟田愛死了。睡覺前還要跟企鵝親吻晚安。(I should've posted this 4 months ago. Well, it's better than nothing.)Fiona is two years old now. I've tried to teach her how to answer the

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-68960128895008116912008-02-06T13:48:00.000+08:002008-02-06T13:58:27.223+08:00

Yes, it can get cold here in Calgary during the winter. Last week it got down to -33C at night, with a high of -27C in the daytime. On the positive side, there are a lot of sunny days and bright blue skies. Sometimes the snow sprinkles itself gently on the trees, like this:

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-58438267328186841252007-12-30T23:00:00.000+08:002008-01-02T16:39:05.648+08:00

上一次在美國過耶誕節已經是十幾年前的事了。帶著孟田到處瞎逛，希望她也能感受到過節的氣氛It's nice to be back in a country where Christmas is the major holiday of the year. With the snow and the music and all the decorations we felt most welcome being in Calgary again.她一眼就看到椅子上的大熊，要去抱抱Fiona makes another trip to the mall, meets a furry friend我終於幫孟田修剪額頭前的頭髮了，頭髮老蓋住眼睛，夾髮夾又被她扯掉，乾脆剪成劉海妹妹頭。不過好奇怪，只不過剪個劉海，發現髮色輪廓也跟著變了，似乎變成另一個小孩了！！We saw some firsts

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-4870096949672835892007-11-30T16:48:00.000+08:002008-01-02T16:07:49.866+08:00

發現自己好懶，好久沒有放照片了。孟楷放了這些十一月份的照片，我來中文補充一下。Here are some random photos from November:孟田喜歡自己刷牙，更喜歡吃牙膏。(那是兒童牙膏，可以吃)當然我還是要幫她補刷一下，免得跟媽媽一樣滿口爛牙！Fiona learns to brush her own teeth零下20度還可以烤肉嗎？當然可以，孟楷全副武裝烤給你看。Who says you can't BBQ in -20c?孟田在家門前玩雪Fiona in her snowsuit in front of our house, enjoying a tasty bite of snow冬天到戶外實在太冷，現在比較常帶她到購物中心裡的兒童遊樂區玩Enjoying the kiddie play area at the mall準備吃早餐Getting ready

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-64581189727851892702007-11-01T15:33:00.000+08:002007-11-25T16:08:16.336+08:00

孟田本來就會一些英文單字，但從未說過完整的句子。來這裡才一個月，孟田竟然會拿起奶奶的鞋子，對她說「You wan dis?」(Do you want this? 你要這個嗎？)也會問「Wha you doin?」(What are you doing?你在做什麼？)她的中文也在進步。很愛問「媽媽，你在做什麼？」。被處罰，哭完之後說「我好可憐，哭哭」。要吃晚飯了，她叫爺爺「不要看書了，來吃飯！」。Fiona knew a few English words before we came to Canada, but she never said any whole sentences. Only one month after being here, she picked up Grandma's shoes when Grandma was leaving, and said, "You

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-37689009899568466092007-10-25T14:59:00.000+08:002007-11-26T10:47:39.942+08:00

終於下雪了！晚上下起了雨，溫度一降，竟成了雪，而且雪花還滿大片的。第二天早上窗外已成銀色世界。我們把孟田帶到窗邊，她愣了好一會兒，才叫出「下雪了！」We finally had our first snow! It started at night just before we went to bed. The next morning, we took Fiona to the window. She stared out the window and didn't say a word. After a while, she shouted out in Chinese,"It's snowing!"我們做雪人，打雪仗，孟田最愛的應該是吃雪吧！一邊吃一邊說「好冰喔！」，鼻涕還流個不停。We made a snowman and had a snow fight after lunch

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-50290594892109693262007-10-24T15:50:00.000+08:002007-11-26T10:49:59.384+08:00

(這應該早就要寫的，但是一直沒時間，到現在才有空看照片。)就在我們忙的焦頭爛額準備搬家回加拿大之際，大姐公司的日本之旅在出發的前一天突然多出一個位子，大姐打電話問我要不要去。就這樣，第一次這麼匆促的踏上我和孟田的北海道之旅。也真的很高興有機會在離開台灣前和大姊、媽媽一起旅遊。(I should've posted this earlier, but I didn't have time until now)While we were busy preparing our moving back to Canada, all of a sudden my sister called me and asked me if I was interested to join her company's trip to Japan. The next morning, Fiona and I

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-43297878545111555312007-10-04T16:47:00.000+08:002007-10-14T14:23:07.026+08:00

終於到了卡加利。經過四、五天的調適，孟田也終於恢復正常作息了！只不過好冷喔！晚上只有0度，白天大概8-15左右。每天總要塗個三、四遍的乳液。不過乾淨的空氣和美麗的秋天讓我了解到，這是正確的決定。只是得被迫離開家人，真是捨不得，只能不去想。It's October 2007, and here we are -- back in Calgary! Though it is much cooler than Taiwan, and a bit of a shock to the system, the skies are beautifully clear and the air is fresh. It's nice to be back.這是我們接下來至少一年要住的地方，也就是公公婆婆的房子。在我們到後一週，他們已經搬到新家。Vivian in front of Morgan's

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-52933161783881182802007-09-06T21:37:00.000+08:002007-09-08T17:48:02.680+08:00

Last Friday afternoon we got a surprise: Vivian and Fiona had a chance to go to Hokkaido, Japan. Suddenly Gareth also decided to make a little getaway. Destination: The remote Taiwanese island of Lanyu, otherwise known as Orchid Island.One has to first fly by jet to Taidong, then take one of these prop planes to go over to LanyuLanyu can be found southeast of Taiwan, about 50 km offshore from the

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-48259123237823224892007-08-31T23:07:00.000+08:002007-09-08T16:36:00.869+08:00

Near the end of August Gareth went on a 2-day mountain biking trip with Ken, Teri and Charles. We visited the popular Paoma and Tonghou trails, near the town Jiaoxi on Taiwan's east coast. Riding the # 9 highway from Taipei to Ilan. Since the new Snow Mountain tunnel opened up, this road is very quietWe passed by the Feitsui reservoir -- nice views hereKen, Gareth, Charles and Teri, the intrepid

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-36500470388127526552007-08-27T23:00:00.000+08:002007-09-08T22:04:50.298+08:00

Here's a random sampling of what we've been up to this summer: Beach parties, weddings, road trips, making music, family visits, dinner gatherings, night market outings and more. A nice way to spend this last season of ours in Taiwan :-)

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-218598860413165872007-08-24T23:32:00.000+08:002007-11-25T11:29:31.431+08:00

孟田今天第一次當模特兒早上9點半在天母集合上陽明山說實在，一想到他們要在戶外拍秋天的衣服，就有一點難受小孩子撐的住嗎？也許這也是選在陽明山的原因之一，山上真的比較涼快一些，再加上躲在樹蔭裡，還算舒服至少孟田沒留什麼汗(她通常超會流汗的)Recently Fiona went out on a photo shoot for a local children's clothing company, Why and 1/2. 第一套衣服。發現孟田的另一種可愛，因為平常我是不會這樣替她打扮的。They took the kids up to Yangmingshan National Park and pretended it was winter. Fiona looks different because I don't usually dress her in this style.

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-81502135607500934772007-07-21T20:17:00.000+08:002007-08-12T22:19:17.843+08:00

Despite (or maybe because of) riding the billows of work and parenting responsibilities, late last year I felt compelled to create some kind of "art project"—a purely creative endeavor unbounded by deadlines or anyone else's needs but my own. The kind of art I like is the series variety, where a collection of pieces builds upon the artist's theme, some engaging commentary or perspective on the

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-80961413554937344862007-06-23T08:35:00.000+08:002007-08-25T15:38:52.888+08:00

Recently we took a road trip down to central Taiwan, first to attend a wedding but later to enjoy some of the local sights. We took a slow train ride, visited a little mountain village, saw a crumbling Japanese-era bridge, enjoyed some Hakka food and more. Here's a video slideshow of our photos:Turn on your speakers -- the slideshow comes with sound! Bonus points if you know the two songs I used.

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-69369004381349671152007-06-18T15:26:00.000+08:002007-06-21T00:21:16.373+08:00

2005年為了迎接孟田的到來 我們開始了這個部落格在這裡 與你們一起分享了七百多個充滿歡笑日子(當然也有許多往肚裡吞的淚水)我親愛的在台灣的朋友孟楷和我做了一個重大的決定我們要帶孟田搬回加拿大了心裡的不捨 不知該從何說起‧‧‧In May of 2005 we started this blog with a big announcement: Vivian was expecting! Well lots has happened since then. Here it is, two years later, and we've got another announcement to make: We're moving back to Canada in the fall.我的簽證已經下來九月底 就要正式跟大家道別了希望能繼續在這裡跟大家說說摩根家的故事Currently we

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-41995714117780836432007-05-31T19:12:00.000+08:002007-06-11T20:51:07.065+08:00

The days are flying by -- here it is the end of May already. Not much time to add to the blog, so here's a selection of our pics from the past monthThis year's family photo, taken at the France-Paris studios on ZhongShan North Road. They did a pretty good job on this one ...and we brought along all of Vivian's family for a group photo too Vivian's parents with all their grandchildren. Sunshine

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-41421893050790731012007-05-16T19:16:00.000+08:002007-06-11T14:01:31.880+08:00

On our ORTV annual retreat we enjoyed a little free time. Since the retreat location was in Green Bay, the grand rocky coast of Taiwan was right at our doorstep One morning I got up extra early to watch the sun rising over the Pacific. This was about 5:20 am Slowly peeping out from the clouds Later that afternoon I returned to the rocks where I first watched the sunrise. En route we passed a

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-17826732039683205452007-05-15T22:35:00.000+08:002007-06-11T13:10:22.824+08:00

Last Saturday Studio Classroom celebrated our 45th anniversary. We held a big rally at Taipei's World Trade Center Auditorium, and invited a few thousand people. It was a fun show. Jamaican/American piano genius Huntley Brown hammers out a calypso tuneHazel and Larry perform a magic trick Angus and Zorina deliver another song Song "Oh Happy Day" -- some of the Studio Classroom teachers came out

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-35319103272139753722007-05-12T21:28:00.000+08:002007-06-11T19:11:52.092+08:00

As a great urban metropolis, Taipei isn't exactly the most attractive city to look at. Sure, there are pockets of pleasantness to be found, but for the most part the city is a vast collection of concrete boxes. It can be dense and oppressive at times.Yet there are some special things to be seen here, if one slows down for a closer look. Things like flowers and birds. Buckets of magnolias and

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-74984030216652971022007-04-25T22:39:00.000+08:002007-04-27T00:01:39.013+08:00

We just got back from our trip to Japan last week. Highly recommended -- on this trip we enjoyed lots of Japan's natural beauty, interesting culture, tasty food, ancient towns, colorful history, snowy mountains, vibrant spring blossoms and much more. Here's where we went in The Land of the Rising Sun.We flew directly in to Nagoya, Japan's 4th largest city, roughly situated between Tokyo and Osaka

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-77388674052226477862007-04-10T20:10:00.000+08:002007-04-11T15:13:05.380+08:00

Vance and Marci and their daughter Mikayla are friends of ours. Often Marci and Vivian will get together so Mikayla and Fiona can play. They also have a blog: frypics.blogspot.com, which happens to have some photos of Fiona and Vivian on it!Recently all of us went out to the RaoHe Night Market for some snacks and entertainment. Gareth and Vance rode their bikes to get thereStopping for some

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-73130028990724724512007-03-25T21:28:00.000+08:002007-04-11T14:55:56.375+08:00

We started the weekend with a Saturday trip to the gardens next to the National Palace Museum. These gardens are arranged in the classical Chinese style. Fiona was excited to see the large goldfish, plus the swans and ducks :-) Then on Sunday we went over to Vivian's parents' house for a meal and some good times. Fiona loves playing with the fridge magnets Getting ready to blow out the candles

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-80096054980580759542007-03-19T23:23:00.000+08:002007-04-11T14:47:15.115+08:00

We said goodbye to our friends the Thalmans, who are returning back to America after many years serving in Taiwan. We will miss you! Some pics from last year... at our retreat in the MRT training center in BeitouKirt sent us this pic after they arrived back in Ohio :-)

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-39114307190075331722007-03-01T19:51:00.000+08:002007-04-25T23:25:48.965+08:00

Over Chinese New Year Gareth was able to take a road trip out of Taipei. Also in the travel party were Web and David, both from HOP. From Taipei we drove east to Ilan, then down the dramatic east coast to spend the night near Hualien. On the second day we visited Taiwan's famous Taroko gorge for a little hiking, then drove up the winding road to get to Taiwan's high central mountain area. That

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-22978176067267664952007-02-17T22:13:00.000+08:002007-03-12T13:41:36.048+08:00

On the Friday before Chinese New Year, Gareth, Vivian & Fiona hopped into the saddle and took a bike ride to the famous DiHua street, which is the place to to to get all your holiday snacks and supplies.Fiona rides in style, in a trailer pulled by Gareth's bikeStopping at the riverside park for a rest and a little run aroundI like playing in the grass! Here we are at last. Brace for the crowds...

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-69501003093047313612007-02-15T00:21:00.000+08:002007-03-19T22:19:07.990+08:00

學校同事晏豪和育如真好！把他們暫時不用的溜滑梯特地搬來借給孟田玩。孟田剛開始只上去了一、兩次，似乎沒有多大的興趣。但到了第二週，她已經會用各種姿勢滑下來，坐著、躺著、甚至趴著用頭先下，一天要玩個至少五十趟。可把我和孟楷累死，有時還被嚇出一身冷汗。因為一個不注意，就發現孟田高高的站在溜滑梯的頂端上跳舞，雙手還高舉在頭上揮呀揮，很得意的樣子。這時，爸爸或媽媽就得拋下手中的一切，健步趕去保護她！今天晚上實在太累了，只好把溜滑梯暫時收在陽台，休兵。

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-66298338194897277982007-02-14T23:30:00.000+08:002007-03-19T23:23:40.367+08:00

終於等到暐暐、想想沒有冬令營，沒有任何課要上。把她們接來，住了兩個晚上。孟田整天姐姐、姐姐的叫個不停，愛死他們兩個了。去ACC美僑俱樂部玩，有兩個姐姐陪，孟田玩瘋了帶三個小女生去爬山吃撐在士林夜市 希望她們不要這麼忙就好了，可以常常來玩。童年可是一眨眼就過了呢！

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-51463705136850094402007-02-03T22:30:00.000+08:002007-04-25T23:25:48.965+08:00

After departing HCMC we flew north to Danang, in the middle of Vietnam. Our hotel was on China Beach, a popular rest spot for American soldiers during the war. Now there are quite a few fancy resorts in this area Vivian and Fiona take a pretend ride in a traditional Vietnamese fishing boat Here we are in Hoi An town. Hoi An used to be a thriving trade center a couple of hundred years ago. The

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-57907317943206850362007-02-02T16:17:00.001+08:002010-12-15T08:14:25.912+08:00

Vivian was especially interested to Vietnam on account of the nice food they have there. We often go out in Taipei for Vietnamese food, but on ourtrip we had several chances to try the real deal去越南的另一個理由是我和Gareth都很喜歡越南菜，想到可以天天吃到生牛河、蔗蝦、生春捲，怎能不心動呢！Outside the front door of Quan An Ngon, one of HCMC's best original Vietnamese restaurants這家餐廳超讚，11點開門，11點20分就客滿了。毎道菜上來我們都滿意的不得了，但一轉頭看到別人桌上更誘人的菜色，

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-78249549246490615242007-02-02T15:54:00.000+08:002007-04-25T23:25:48.967+08:00

January was vacation time for us, and this time we decided to take a side trip to Vietnam, only 3 hours away from Taipei.很久沒出國玩了(去加拿大除外)，決定趁著春節漲價前，去越南看看 Downtown Ho Chi Minh City (i.e. Saigon), Vietnam. The former Hotel de Ville is in the background. Looks a bit like Europe, eh?因為曾是法國殖民地，胡志明市有許多法式建築，這個角度很像在歐洲吧！？Vivian stops to by some fruit from a street vendor. These peddlers were everywhere,

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-18319225477469780982007-01-06T21:33:00.000+08:002007-01-15T00:24:39.858+08:00

On Friday January 5th we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. Can you believe the time has gone by so quickly?!一月五日，結婚四週年了。時間一定要不知不覺地走得這麼快嗎？We dropped Fiona off at Auntie Jolene's, then headed out for dinner, just the two of us.請家人幫我看孟田，我們兩個逍遙去了Following our custom of trying new ethnic foods, we visited a Xinjiang BBQ place太久沒試新餐廳了，今天特地挑了沒吃過的新疆烤肉Xinjiang is the far western province of China,

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-27214840111091764602007-01-03T23:37:00.000+08:002007-01-18T22:45:51.938+08:00

New Year's Day here in Taipei was a breezy +22C, with clear blue skies. Great day for a bike ride! We called Vivian's sister Jolene and asked her family to join us on the river trails Outside the front door of our apartment. Fiona's strapped into her trailer, we're ready to roll!Wei Wei joined us for the ride... ...and where there is Wei Wei, you know Sunshine must be nearby tooCruising the open

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-60150194807781479042007-01-02T02:10:00.000+08:002007-01-15T00:26:13.092+08:00

To usher in the new year, we went to Chris Jordan's office on Heping East Road. He's on the 11th floor, and his building enjoys a good vantage point of the Taipei 101 buildingHere's what we saw out the windowNighttime traffic below. The streets were buzzing with excitement that nightWei Wei and Sunshine came along to see the fireworks. They met a little doggy friend that night The countdown crowd

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-81375316807687859992006-12-29T20:41:00.000+08:002007-01-18T23:03:42.457+08:00

More home happenings at the Morgan household...Fiona tries on her new backpackFiona walking! She likes pushing around this walker thing, but she's also able to walk on her own now, without any supportDaddy reads a bedtime storyIt's a little big maybe? Fiona tries out some new clothes: a seemingly huge-sized kimono-type housecoat. Maybe by next December it will fit...Mmmm, coffee. Vivian knows how

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-54659311661442403312006-12-26T23:02:00.000+08:002007-01-18T23:04:06.897+08:00

'Tis the season to be jolly! Here's how we spent Christmas this yearAt this year's annual ORTV Christmas rally. The theme was "Christmas and You"Another annual tradition: The HOP Christmas Party at Pastor Kirt's house. We played the unwrap the present game, and had a white elephant gift exchange Christmas Eve was on Sunday this year, so there was a service at the House of Praise. The HOP has

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-85973199111663494002006-12-26T19:21:00.000+08:002007-01-18T21:27:20.434+08:00

On Boxing Day we drove up the mountain and paid a visit to Yangming Shu Wu (Yangming Library), former summer home of the late Chiang Kai-Shek and Madame Chiang.Walking the long approach to the houseFront doorsChiang himself wasn't there to play host, but his likeness was present in this life-size painting. Aparently he was a short kind of fellowNice airy rooms, carpets, fancy furniture, old-style

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-29085611462514017862006-12-24T23:10:00.000+08:002007-01-15T00:37:20.146+08:00

Christmas Eve in Taipei this year and it's around +20 c. A good day to pop over to the park across the river孟楷的公司這次讓他們一口氣在耶誕節放了4天假，真過癮24號星期日天氣好到不行，決定騎腳踏車去河濱公園有片新的花圃，還蠻美的 Fiona hangs on tight孟田現在有時候會用雙手緊緊的抱住我們的脖子，孟田式的抱抱 A carpet of flowers Fiona gets curious孟田對什麼都很好奇，她已經會說「花花」了 Taking a closer look難得髮夾還留在頭上，可能看花看到忘記頭上的夾子了，終於露出美美的額頭

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-90906016752962253392006-12-21T23:14:00.000+08:002007-01-18T21:09:41.826+08:00

Here's a random sampling of what we've been up to this month...BBQ time with Vivian's old students from KojenDinner out with Blackie and Jing-Jing. Blackie runs his own travel agency. He was also a former Kojen student, and Gareth was his teacherSipping a drink in the strollerAttending Vivian's schoolteacher friend's wedding Swing time at the ACC. Fiona looks a bit apprehensive......but she likes

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-64380889780636957352006-12-18T23:06:00.000+08:002006-12-21T22:53:58.736+08:00

Recently we visited the photo studio in my office to take some Christmas pictures. Thanks to that camera guru fellow Vance for shooting these....and did you notice that we changed our blog template? All the same posts, but with a new look and feel, plus more cool functions -- better archiving, tagging, etc. Cool eh?Our 2006 card -- Merry Christmas!(if you'd like a high-resolution copy of this

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1165396647882902232006-11-24T17:14:00.000+08:002006-12-21T22:54:56.650+08:00

Our old friend from Hsinchu, Chien Yi, dropped by for a weekend visit. We took her to the American club for lunch.Hanging out with FionaOver by the patioEnjoying the poolside sunshineFiona rides a playground toyGareth, Vivian & Fiona

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1165398220770562332006-11-21T21:39:00.000+08:002007-01-05T13:41:22.487+08:00

Last Friday was Nya's last night with us at Friday night live. She leaves for a job with Club Med in Indonesia next week.

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1165397284396319762006-11-15T17:18:00.000+08:002006-12-21T22:58:01.604+08:00

Time to enjoy that Cantonese treat: Dim Sum (飲茶), or yin cha as they say in Mandarin.我們的家庭小組在Nya離開之前，去兄弟飯店飲茶。因為有好吃的，Gareth和Fiona孟田也跑來插花。Our dinner party, at the Plum Blossom Room in the Brother HotelShao Mai (燒賣) -- steamed ground pork wraps Gan Chao Niu He (干炒牛河): stir-fried rice noodle with beefHao You Jie Lan (蠔油芥藍) -- Chinese broccoli with mushrooms and oyster sauce Xia Ren Chang Fen (蝦仁腸粉):

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1163440658935088922006-11-14T01:56:00.000+08:002006-12-21T22:59:20.225+08:00

We celebrated Fiona's birthday again with my family. A lot of gifts and love from them. - Vivian孟田的第二個生日。和孟田的公公婆婆舅舅大阿姨二阿姨阿丈大姐二姐一起到泰平天國吃飯。然後又到公公婆婆家吃超級豪華真的生日蛋糕(不是爸爸媽媽用布丁冒充的)，拆禮物。孟田今天的心情很好，一逗就笑。媽媽其實累的要命，因為今天考試考了一整天(華語教師認證)。好難喔！看來是沒什麼希望了。孟田的收穫豐富。婆婆送金飾，大阿姨送金幣加一套超酷的比基尼。舅舅送超高級的法國超柔軟洋娃娃，但仍是難逃「中國製造」的命運。二阿姨買了一個可以換衣服的洋娃娃。大姐二姐送套套杯和實用的手套夾。孟田真是太幸福了內。不過她最有興趣的應該還是那些包裝紙、塑膠袋、大紙盒！ 看她得意的連腳都翹起來了 兩個表姊都好愛孟田Fiona's 2

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1162569167611209252006-11-03T23:40:00.000+08:002007-01-05T13:45:16.214+08:00

Fiona's first birthday! We celebrated with a little party at home, just the three of us Fiona wearing her nice matching dress, socks and barette. This outfit was bought by Grandma over the summer Cake time! A little cake for a little person Actually it's not even a cake, but a cup of pudding. Now we sing the Happy Birthday Song Fiona needs Mummy's help to blow out the candleTime to open the

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1162287068491522252006-10-31T22:11:00.000+08:002007-01-05T13:47:08.658+08:00

Last Saturday we took a pleasant family bike ride -- all three of us. Taipei has come a long way in developing many of the winding trails that run along its rivers. Now you can ride for many kilometers without crossing a road. This is remarkable considering how small and crowded this city is. Since the weather was balmy today, it was too good an opportunity to miss.How did Fiona travel? In her

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1162285836580665362006-10-26T20:03:00.000+08:002007-01-05T13:48:19.712+08:00

As Fiona gets older she is getting more active, showing off new skills and behaviors all the time.Funny hair at mealtime...and her hair is long enough to put into little tails!Playtime with big sister NyaStill curious when it comes to watching TV from her saucerJust coming out of the bath; getting ready for bedLittle preciousFiona has long eyelashes, like daddyA Mid-Autumn festival Chinese

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1161613509080746182006-10-23T20:05:00.000+08:002007-01-05T13:50:29.832+08:00

Great fall weather we've been having -- high 20s, sunny, breezy afternoons. On Saturday we went to the flea market at the Taipei American School, then crossed the Danshui River to do the hike up Kuanyin MountainWe took a steep trail with ropes. Vivian and Fiona climbed bravely. We even think Vivian had an easier time than she would have before Fiona came along. All that baby lifting has given

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1161354011223416762006-10-20T22:18:00.000+08:002007-01-05T13:51:15.813+08:00

Our Fiona is becoming more of a little lady every day.What do you think of my new bicycle helmet?I like playing by the sofaStanding next to my saucer. I can pull myself up to a standing position now. Any day now I'm going to start walking!Out of the bathtub and into my strawberry towelI'm getting sleepy... time for bedBack in my saucer, watching the 183rd rerun of my Baby Einstein videoBack in

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1161136949990086592006-10-14T21:55:00.000+08:002007-01-05T15:09:30.444+08:00

On the road again! Back to the east coast, this time on two wheels. Gareth and Vivian and Fiona and several work friends arranged a fun overnight holiday to one of our favorite Taiwan destinationsRolling on the east coast nightway, enjoying the Pacific Ocean view, the cool breezes and the craggy terrain One of the day's destinations: Long Dong (the Dragon Hole). Gareth looks north toward

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1161500269783621442006-10-09T20:38:00.000+08:002007-01-05T13:53:27.909+08:00

Fiona is cute, though she can also be a handful at times. But sometimes even her naughty moments are cute and funny. Enjoying a laugh during mealtimeBleah! I don't like this food! Cracker bits all over Fiona's fingersTrying something new and sour-tastingReading a book on her changing tableGet me out of here! Planning an escape Playing with her plastic corn cob toyPlaying with Mum in front of the

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1161136461340338052006-10-04T21:27:00.000+08:002007-04-25T23:25:48.968+08:00

Time for another road trip! Gareth joined pals Jialin, Wendy, Angus, Steve, plus Yama and his family on a trip to Yilan last weekend Cruising through the cool new Snow Mountain Tunnel. This new tunnel is the longest in East Asia, and the fifth longest in the world Without the tunnel, the journey from Taipei to Yilan took 2 hours. Now it takes 40 minutes. Our destination, the Dongshan church.

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1160928795543533282006-10-03T22:25:00.000+08:002007-01-05T13:55:57.104+08:00

What can you do when you don't have time/money to go abroad for a holiday? Visit an ethnic restaurant for a taste of something new. Recently we visited one of Taipei's oldest Indonesian restaurants, the Pondok Mutiara Restaurant on Fuxing North Road.Vivian anticipates a tasty meal For starters, the Gado Gado salad, a traditional beginning dish. Bean sprouts, cucumber, shrimp cakes, nut sauce and

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1161274890111978712006-10-01T00:20:00.000+08:002007-01-05T13:56:38.993+08:00

Fiona會扶著東西走一陣子了。現在的她要征服家裡的高山。Little Fiona is getting crafty... in order to reach the magazines on the bookshelf, she used a diaper box to climb up 就算使盡吃奶的力氣，我也一定要爬上去。， 沒力氣了，先稍微休息一下。 終於爬到山頂，拿到上面的雜誌了！ (這張可以拿去幫寶適應徵模特兒或當幫寶適的廣告。) 「媽，不用叫我吃晚飯了。」真累！想不通為什麼爸爸那麼愛爬山！It's hard work doing all that climbing! I can never figure out why dada loves hiking so much!?-V&F

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1161134713265815772006-09-28T21:24:00.000+08:002007-01-05T13:57:37.271+08:00

There's a nice little hike that starts right around the corner from our house. You can walk up the mountain, then along the ridge to the Grand Hotel. Now that the cooler fall weather is here, we put Fiona in her special backpack and took her on the hike.The view from the top, looking northwest to Kuanyin MountainWhat's on the other side of the mountain? Tapiei's famous Shilin Night Market: oyster

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1158985502236116822006-09-23T09:56:00.000+08:002007-01-05T14:00:14.872+08:00

When I am not in the office managing the website or editing something, I sometimes have the opportunity to go out and do fun stuff. Here are some of the non-editorial things I do from time to time...For two semesters I taught an English conversation class to students at ShiJian University, just across the street from my office. The students were a pleasure to teach. Hard to believe that some of

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1158941917393529462006-09-17T20:43:00.000+08:002007-01-05T14:02:27.524+08:00

One major upside to ORTV is that we play a lot of music together Practicing for a show at Friday Night LiveOur latest lineup: Angus, Steve, Brett and GarethThe multitalented Angus: Piano player, flutist, composer, professional arranger, mentor, band leader, currently learning to play the drums too I can't play this guitar very well, but I look good standing behind it Here's Paul, a kind friend

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1158939674591023672006-09-12T23:03:00.000+08:002007-01-05T14:16:31.986+08:00

Thought I should do some posts about Overseas Radio & Television (ORTV), considering all the dozens of work hours I actually spend here...The ORTV campus, situated in the trendy DaZhi district of Taipei. ORTV is a nice place to work. We do lots of different things here, and the work is rewardingWho's hanging out in the lobby? Marco and Liz (thanks Marco for supplying some of these pictures)Liz

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1158499221053617242006-09-05T20:44:00.000+08:002007-01-05T14:17:08.155+08:00

Fiona's taken up reading now. She likes looking at books on her own. Plants on our balcony... Mum bought us this nice mini Christmas tree plant in January. On the right is Vivian's red pepper plant. We ate the pepper the next day... tasty! Mealtimes are usually eventful at home... It is here where Fiona debuts many of her new expressions. Here is a good one -- she's amused and a little embarassed

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1158933625338938782006-09-02T21:59:00.000+08:002007-01-05T15:10:41.823+08:00

Some ORTV pals and I got together recently to take a trip out to Yeliu, the famous seaside attraction near Taipei. Some people go for the scenery. Some go for the dried squid. We went for all that and more: some illicit swimming in the cool Pacific OceanPassenger's view of the Hog: Rusty handlebars, Tintin keychain, broken spedometer The moon-like landscape that is YeliuMore surreal moon-like

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1158501847213819032006-08-28T21:30:00.000+08:002007-01-05T14:19:42.271+08:00

Here's what we've been up to over the past month...Free football match! Taiwan vs. South Korea at the local SongShan Stadium, close to our house. Taiwan lost three nil, but they put up a spirited fight all the same. It was good to watch a real match again after all this timeHiking day: Overlooking Taipei from Miantianshan ("Face the Sky Mountain"), part of Yangmingshan National Park.Ken and Terri

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1154241873951565722006-07-30T14:23:00.000+08:002007-01-05T14:20:34.265+08:00

This Saturday there was a HOP outing to Fulong Beach, one of the best attractions on the northeast coast of Taiwan. It was a hot and sunny 33C that day, but the water was cool and refreshing.

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1154055594217817252006-07-17T22:47:00.000+08:002007-04-25T23:25:48.969+08:00

Gareth wasn't the only one visiting friends in Calgary -- Vivian had a chance to visit with two of her roomates from college in Texas. I'm sure none of them expected to be meeting again in Canada.這次回加拿大，不是只有Gareth有朋友可以拜訪，我也有！Heidy是我在美國德州唸書時的室友。今年二月Heidy寫email給我，說她要移民到加拿大，問我該去哪一個城市？開什麼玩笑，當然是卡加立(Gareth的城市)。她和先生小孩四月份就真的搬過去了。 Vivian and Heidi. Heidi is Chinese, but was born and raised in PanamaHeidy

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1154054008907619472006-07-12T21:59:00.000+08:002007-04-25T23:25:48.969+08:00

Ah, the Calgary Stampede. Every year in July the city turns cowboy for "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth." We pulled our cowboy hats out of storage and enjoyed some of the main attractions.每年七月初，在卡加立有一個十天的牛仔節活動。整城加上上萬從外地來的觀光客都像瘋了似的全部成了牛仔郎、牛仔妹。我們也不例外地把收在儲藏室的牛仔帽拿出來應景。 但我的婆婆堅持她的優雅，拒戴牛仔帽。還好，一年只有十天！The Calgary Stampede parade. RCMP (mounties) stutting their stuff開始的前一天由盛大的遊行暖場好帥的騎警，有女生喔！19 marching

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1153991495117794332006-07-10T17:04:00.000+08:002007-04-25T23:25:48.970+08:00

Fiona seemed to enjoy her first visit to Canada... and everyone enjoyed seeing her!孟田在加拿大一個月，除了前三天調整時差很黏我外，其餘的時間都非常的合作在飛機上也很乖，沒有大哭大鬧。讓其他乘客(包括爸爸媽媽)都鬆了一口氣 A family heirloom -- Gareth sat on this same chair when he was a baby這是Gareth小時候的迷你辦公椅，奶奶竟然保存的這麼好現在只有孟田的屁股坐的下，看她得意的樣子 Fiona loves the paddle pool at Riley Park在公園的淺水游泳池裡玩的不亦樂乎，完全不在乎水很冷(連我的腳都覺得冰) Cowgirl in training: Fiona takes her first horse

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1154054826188897962006-07-05T22:33:00.000+08:002007-04-25T23:25:48.971+08:00

Got to see quite a few friends on this trip. We didn't get pictures of every single one of you, but some of you we did.The happy couple: Jason and JulieJason took me on a great mountain bike down through the gully near his house, then along the Bow River and backEn route from Vancouver to Saskatoon, Mike and Jody dropped by to say hiDustin hung out with us one afternoon at Riley ParkLong lost pal

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1154009794293453672006-06-28T22:06:00.000+08:002007-04-25T23:25:48.972+08:00

It was nice to get back home and rediscover the familiar places and activities we'd missed for so long. The last time Vivian and I spent a summer in Calgary was back in 2002, before we got married.Mowing my parent's lawn on my first day back. Actually I enjoy doing this kind of gardening stuffDriving back home towards the sunset. This was nearly 11:00 pm at night! The summer evenings last a long

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1154051951156018752006-06-26T21:38:00.000+08:002007-04-25T23:25:48.972+08:00

One big highlight of our trip to Canada was visiting Windermere, the little town in BC's Columbia Valley where my uncle runs his motel. In nearby Invermere there is a company named Babin Air that offers short sightseeing flights around the area. We flew over over Radium Hot Springs, the Bugaboo Spires, the Hanging Glacier and other nearby attractions. The plane: one propeller, room for just five

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1154012702073862552006-06-24T23:03:00.000+08:002007-04-25T23:25:48.973+08:00

We took two trips to the Rocky Mountains this summer. The first trip was the three-hour drive to Windermere, BC to see Aunt Siri and Uncle Mike tilling. They run a nice little motel near the lake. The other trip was to Canmore and Banff with Vivian's friend Amy and her family. Our chariot for the journeys: Dad's Jeep CherokeeCastle Mountain from a distanceCrystal-clear mountain streamLichen and

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1153894457584286382006-06-20T14:07:00.000+08:002007-04-25T23:25:48.974+08:00

This summer we had the chance to return to Calgary for a visit. It was nice to get back to summer in Canada and see Mum and Dad and Jane. We also traveled to the mountains to see the Tillings in Windermere.今年夏天我們帶著孟田回卡加立去看爺爺奶奶。這是我第三次回卡加立，每次的心境都不同。第一次我只是女朋友，快要回台灣前，Gareth在八月的湖邊跟我求婚，才變成未婚妻。第二次去我們結婚兩年，我是媳婦。這一次帶著孟田，已經是媽媽，責任越來越大。卡加立的夏天很棒，白天最高30度，晚上較冷大約10到15度。非常乾燥。就算在30度的大太陽下走兩小時，也不會流汗 Mum and Dad

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1149606013745990462006-06-06T22:35:00.000+08:002007-01-05T14:40:17.766+08:00

We have jumped on the video editing/blogging bandwagon, thanks to YouTube. Below are three short music videos starring our ever-popular Fiona.I have also uploaded a bunch of older videos and slideshow projects I edited over the last year or so. You can see all of them on our YouTube channel. Enjoy!Fiona's First Five MonthsFiona in April and MayFiona's Adventures Outside

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1149904273873251072006-05-29T09:26:00.000+08:002007-04-25T23:26:50.421+08:00

Saturday we drove out to Jin Shan, a little town on the north coast of Taiwan. Like many small towns, Jin Shan has an "old street" where you can buy lots of snacks and local specialties.After exploring the old street, we put Fiona in her new backpack, then walked out to a park overlooking the ocean. The candlestick rocks were neat.

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1148830176503987182006-05-28T23:23:00.000+08:002007-01-05T14:49:01.709+08:00

孟田6個半月大了，天氣夠熱，下了多天的雨終於停了我和Mikayla的媽媽Marcia決定帶我們的女兒去游泳孟田一點都不怕，就跟她在洗澡時一樣，手腳興奮地揮舞著手還一直拍水，濺的Mikayla一臉水

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1149870321558289122006-05-26T20:24:00.000+08:002007-01-05T14:50:31.040+08:00

On Tuesday Gareth and Fiona visited Taipei's PTS (Public Television Service) studios for some shooting of Let's Talk in English. The show will air some time in November.

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1148483123450245872006-05-22T22:30:00.000+08:002007-01-05T14:53:39.046+08:00

上個星期天，我們參加了首次的爬101大樓慈善募款活動。孟楷參與了爬樓募款的部分，嘉倩在最後一層當義工，負責計算毎個人募得的款項。 一共募得185萬Last Sunday we participated in the first-ever Taipei 101 Climbathon for Charity, an event organized by The Canadian Society in Taiwan. Gareth did the climbing, while Vivian volunteered at the check-out on the top floor. We were raising money for the Garden of Hope Foundation, and the Community Services Center in Taipei. The

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1149906104561669032006-05-21T22:11:00.000+08:002007-01-05T15:09:00.622+08:00

More two-wheeled adventures along the seaside roads of Taiwan. This time our easy riders included Phil, Liz, Vance, Jason and Julia.

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1148140776420110142006-05-14T23:31:00.000+08:002007-01-05T15:13:44.758+08:00

我們去了深坑，為了吃豆腐從我懷孕開始，我們突然開始喜歡到各鄉鎮的老街逛逛吃東西我是覺得根本不能叫老街，因為老房子已經沒幾棟，又都被塑膠棚傘招牌給擋住了不過我反正不是去看房子，我的目的是去吃東西買東西，所以無所謂老不老這次大豐收。吃的好飽，又買了滿手的東西深坑的豆腐真的有黃豆味！還有豆腐冰淇淋，真的有糙灰搭的豆腐味We took a visit to Shen Keng, a little town famous for its tofu.The infamous stinky tofu.A van bringing yet more fresh tofu. Gareth gives the delivery a sniff.Spicy tofu! Not for the faint of heart.This is more my style -- stinky tofu, but

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1148267254869182072006-05-04T10:50:00.000+08:002007-01-05T15:14:59.373+08:00

孟田喜歡趴著玩，趴著睡Fiona likes to lie on her stomach for playing and sleeping.喜歡趴著把頭抬的高高的She likes to lie on her stomach and raise her head high to look around不用手也可以撐起來喔！Look, no hands, no hands!厲害吧！

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1148264926300370182006-05-03T10:19:00.000+08:002007-01-14T23:54:51.722+08:00

孟田已經6個月大囉！她已經很會翻身，但還坐不很直。穿著她最喜歡的牛仔褲(應該是媽媽最喜歡的吧)帶著招牌的笑臉，慶祝半歲生日。

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1148265190595199372006-05-01T10:29:00.000+08:002007-01-14T23:56:27.783+08:00

第一次吃蘋果，也是第一次吃水果。看她的表情，我以為蘋果很酸，嚐了一口，其實很甜。只是她還不習慣水果酸甜的滋味吧！

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1148268151461530522006-04-30T11:16:00.000+08:002007-01-14T23:56:59.021+08:00

孟田最近很愛咬東西，懷疑要長牙了喜歡肯這個婆婆送的磨牙玩具不過仍未看到任何小牙牙冒出的跡象

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1148265922766700842006-04-30T10:33:00.000+08:002006-05-22T10:45:22.863+08:00

孟田喜歡喝奶奶，但對裝著母奶的橡膠奶頭奶瓶強烈排斥。換成水也不喝。只好訓練她用杯子喝水。雖然三分之二都漏出來了，但至少不會做出嫌惡的表情。喝水也不忘對著鏡頭笑喝完了還可以啃杯子

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17046037.post-1148478468031054742006-04-27T21:24:00.000+08:002006-05-24T21:47:51.620+08:00

Bali in Taiwan? Yes, the small port village of Bali resides on the West bank of the Danshui river, opposite the more famous Danshui town. Taipei's bicycle trails are getting better. Now it's possible to ride all the way from our house to Bali and back. Another rider on the trail... you don't see horses every day Taipei.Vivian and Fiona couldn't make it on this trip. Once we get a bicycle trolley

Gareth, Vivian & Fionahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02851946474395583420noreply@blogger.com1