New method of providing Content

Picture of the family from one of the stops in Taroko Gorge while visiting Hualien. Rode the scooters Noah fell asleep on way home quite a challenge to keep him on scooter but even in his sleep he holds on tight to handle bars, quite amazing. Taroko was beautiful but maybe need two days to see and have a better plan.


-- Post From My iPod Touch

Trying to see about using a blogging application called MacJournal

In an effort to increase productivity I am looking at several options for journal and blogging entry.

ie yo wei yia

I hate traffic in Taiwan, and by traffic I mean the whole driving experience, not just busy times. Sorry, but that is how I feel. I know someone will say there is something wrong with me and they are probably right there are many things wrong with me, but only an insane person would disagree that Taiwan driving is, for the westerner, frustrating , unsafe and sometimes scary. But there is more to this than my ranting.

I borrowed this picture until I choose some of the pictures from our town in Chia-Yi, but it is a typical scene and only begins to cover my feelings. I have a real dislike for the traffic in Taiwan, I can't say that any of the cities here are any less irritating, but Taipei is slightly high on my list. The only thing is that sometimes where I live the person that is irritating me could be someone I know.

It may be the turning left on a red light, oncoming traffic in your lane, u-turns at any time and anywhere - even on a street like the picture, elderly people oblivious to everything, 10 cars turning left in front of you, sometimes two at a time in your lane and you are the only car no one is behind you. It may be how I was raised, or the being forced to be polite pattern, or ... I think that is why I am trying to do get a hold of my feelings and I need to know what really is my thinking. I know I could sing 'praise songs,' I am a Christian after all and keeping my focus on something like God could help, no it would help. But, I would just like to get through the day without saying, 'stupid......' I even think about how to I feel about the Taiwanese people, so what do I think about the Taiwanese people. This is from my contemplating about why I feel this way and knowing that feelings always come about in response to our thinking. I am still wrestling with this issue and not sure when the resolve will come but I am hopeful.

Actually there are more but it was quite a trip for a few of us to go to Taipei for just a luncheon, and a few left before the end to get back to work. I didn't know anyone because everyone was way after me... But, it was interesting there was one teacher from Taipei American School, a school I went to for 2nd and 3rd grade. Another was the current Principal of Bethany School where I went for a few months before we went to the Philippines, He asked me if I could help fill in some history for that time period, that was in 1966, I will ask my mom who was helping with library at the time what she remembers. Another went to school with a Psychologist working at the hospital I work at and knows Joanny Chang, see below blog, Joanny is now the president of the seminary she taught at is what I heard, . Lastly one couple has their daughter at Biola and the mom is one of the Heavenly Melody singers here in Taiwan.

I went to school with Dr & Mrs. Cook's son and daughter, Craig and Laura, and knew the Cook's personally. I still remember having an appointment with Dr. cook to talk about my desire to go into missions and sought his wisdom and thoughts. Dr. Cook's father was a missionary in China and live and starved in the concentration camps there too, he also met Eric Lidell (Chariots of Fire is partly his story) there. Dr. Cook later was a missionary here in Taiwan. Anyway, I went to see Dr. Cook and his wife and connect with people in Taiwan who had my great experience of Biola University. The video presentation was okay, but Dr. Cook telling about what is happening at Biola and the Biolans in significant places in America as well as in the world was amazing, I went to a pretty prominent school of producing or having significant people, Michael Chang is graduating this year but that was only significant to my wife who collected his newspaper clipping here in Taiwan.

Ya-Ru and family didn't go it is a long trip on the train, almost four hours one way, and anyway one of our church members had surgery suddenly for cancer and Ya-ru babysat her children for most of the day. God is so wise to keep Ya-Ru available for this task, not only could she help at the hospital but take care of the kids and have playmates for Caleb for the day. Yeah God! And Mrs Cook invited us to visit them when we come to the States, I always try to go and visit some of my professors on campus.

Done and now to keep up...

Made all the transfers to the new Gmail account so no duplication. Now need to keep up with all the different blogs. Probably will find out which ones help me most and people read. I like my Xanga blog (padrentaiwan) because I can know how many people even leave a footprint as well as comments, and it will be my main blog, but here and the other Blogger blogs I will be more specialized. I chose the different topics as a test as well to see where am I going and what happen while I went. So this is a learning experience for me and hopefully someone will appreciate my journey and life experience.

Redoing my blog...

Hopefully the transfer of my blogs to just one account will be relatively painless but I think not.