tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:05:53 +0000About Taiwan, FotoZon and lots of other stuffhttp://fotozon.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)Blogger54125http://fotozon.com/http://fotozon.com/images/SunsetLogoIcon_100.jpgtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-1467408086552984477Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:44:00 +00002009-09-13T23:21:25.906+08:00onlinetranslationworldwideI am back in Taiwan now after being gone for almost a month back the USA. I was back there just in time to watch my 89 year old grandmother pass away after a fight with brain cancer. It was so sad. It sort of bothered me though that there was no real ceremony like the elaborate drawn out one they have here in Taiwan. I got to witness that earlier this year when my wife's grandmother passed http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2009/09/broadcasting-worldwide-on-sunday-night.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-7645395469995816031Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:13:00 +00002009-09-10T18:24:22.787+08:00Treeswhite balanceTo any readers following this blog, I have been busy recently with another trip back to the USA to witness the death of my grandmother. It was a sad experience. I sought solace in the woods around my family's compound in Northern Washington State. While there I discovered something on the settings of my Nikon D50 camera. Here is the first picture I took at this trail junction with automatic http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2009/09/colors-and-white-balance-in-forest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-8877909458101055397Sat, 13 Jun 2009 12:25:00 +00002009-06-13T20:32:49.201+08:00lenscameraPort Townsendwide anglenikonA new lens, the 10~20 mm Sigma. I It shoots so much wider than a regular lens. I call it "super wide". On a recent trip to Port Townsend USA, to visit my good friend Jim - Custom Instrument Maker, I came across this beauty and plunked down the coin to make it mine.A real estate agent's dream, an interrior lens to be used with shutter speeds as slow as 1/15th second. I hope to capture the http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2009/06/new-lens.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-5271691163537177461Sun, 19 Apr 2009 04:41:00 +00002009-04-19T15:37:37.183+08:00ConstructionHousesbuildingRoadsIt seems that in Taiwan, there is always construction going on. New roads are built, new houses, gigantic new concrete and steel buildings culminating with the Taipei 101 tower. What is it that causes such continuous construction? There seem to be plenty of abandoned old houses, and new ones are going up all the time. Leading some to conclude there is a serious housing bubble in Taiwan. It http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2009/04/construction-in-taiwan.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-1106963730316095385Sat, 28 Mar 2009 14:49:00 +00002009-03-28T23:09:29.659+08:00TaiwanClare WangAustraliaTaiwan ... and ... AustraliaThere seems to be an inevitable connection between Australia and Taiwan. I was reminded of that recently while reading the story about Clare Wang on the site of my favorite blogger from Taiwan who also happens to be from Australia! Maybe I'm also thinking of a local photographer from Australia or the website Taiwan in Australia that is a strong supporter of Taiwan http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2009/03/connections-between-australia-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-3764582664861822528Tue, 17 Mar 2009 08:33:00 +00002009-03-17T18:24:47.074+08:00stock markettu85mmwulaiThis is an awfully suspicious picture in my opinion. I mean look at the way the hand is gently pushing up from the bottom. "T.U." pretty much sums up where we are though huh? The thing that also strikes me is the change in direction in 1995. What happened back then? That's probably where the trouble started.What are these 2 little words that could kill Microsoft? Could they be "Net-Book"? http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2009/03/kaput.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-5446308188533340391Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:31:00 +00002009-01-17T20:49:00.795+08:00CleaningBalconyRight up there with the ever popular "Cleaning the Fan" blog entry entry - this time it is cleaning up the balcony. I like to think of it as my "backyard". It is just outside of the kitchen. I know it doesn't look like much in this picture, but you should have seen it before. Dirt and grime was built up for years. I spent more than a whole morning scrubbing and even ran a small 1/8" water http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2009/01/balcony.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-872242317206459062Sun, 28 Dec 2008 03:52:00 +00002009-01-02T12:27:36.645+08:00SuaoTaroko GorgeTravel太魯閣Since I first took a motorcycle trip around the island in 1998 and saw this place for the first time, it has always stood out as probably the most fantastic natural place in Taiwan. The Taroko Gorge (太魯閣) would be amazing enough, but the addition of the highway threaded through the vertical walls with many tunnels and cutouts just makes it all the more incredible. When I first rode through on my http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/12/taroko-gorge-five-day-trip.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-529523410146970009Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:47:00 +00002008-12-15T00:26:16.439+08:00Shuei-LiSun Moon Lake蛇窑水里PotteryOn the way to thesouth end of Sun Moon Lake, after the town of Shueili, ( 水里 ) there's a place called the "Snake Kiln". We've driven past it many times, but never stopped. This time we decided to stop the car and go see what it was all about.The Shueili Snake Kiln ( 水里蛇窑 ) gets its name from this long earthentunnel that serves as a kiln to make pottery. Many parts of this kilnwere http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/12/snake-kiln-in-shueili.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-7692292146242124976Wed, 12 Nov 2008 01:24:00 +00002008-11-12T09:52:18.830+08:00FordTacomaGMcarsIn late July, my Dad took a break from making cabinets in Stanwood and we went to tour the LeMay car museum in Tacoma, WA. How appropriate (or ironic?) that I'm posting this just now as the giants from Detroit - GM, Ford and Chrysler are struggling to survive and are begging the government for bailout money. The auto maker's glory days of the past may be gone, but thanks to museums like this http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/11/visit-to-car-museum.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-1354599037200936940Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:39:00 +00002008-09-26T10:25:26.582+08:00SchoolUWSeattleLast month in early August, I visited my old school - the University of Washington in Seattle while my wife went shopping in the nearby shopping "village". It was great fun to stroll down memory lane and see all the changes and the classic old building that remain the same.They are remodeling my old hall of economics.Now - Why didn't they have that sign therewhen I was going to school!?!Classic http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/09/old-school.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-3244394977507004863Sat, 13 Sep 2008 10:13:00 +00002008-09-13T18:30:57.872+08:00USAcabinetsreal photographyWhile I was back in the states, my brother built a table for a "real" photographer in exchange for some professional shots of their work at the Grey's cabinet shop in Stanwood. I was gone the shoot, but I heard all about the experience and how the photographer spent about two hours lining up each shot with the lights and everything just so! Any little reflection or bright spots and he'd have tohttp://fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/09/some-nice-photos.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-4931801264531243659Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:55:00 +00002008-09-08T14:10:33.742+08:00USAWashingtonbeachOlympic PenninsulaA few pictures from our recent trip back the USA. You can't really tell from the picture -, but I'm driving asmall tractor here and the kids are in the back in a trailer.Quack Quack - Some ducks on Lake Crescent.Camping out on the Pacific Ocean .The Beach at Sunset - look at all those drift logs.This guy apparently really likes wine!http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/09/in-woods-on-beach.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-1656138695351361827Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:20:00 +00002008-08-11T15:49:27.449+08:00USAbackTaiwantpodWell, here I am back in Taiwan after 35 days in the USA. It was a glorious vacation filled with beautiful scenery, clean air and lots of partying. Of course with flying, eating out and partying, there is always a heavy tax to pay. Now I'm happy to say that I'm back to work full time, saving money and working on this ole blog again.During my vacation, Craig took over editorial duties at the http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/08/all-is-well-in-land-of-setting-sun.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-4019628538985914654Sun, 22 Jun 2008 03:51:00 +00002008-12-12T15:00:28.728+08:00Taiwan Picture of the DayAnniversaryfotozonHow time flies! It's been just a little more than a year since we launched the Taiwan Picture of the Day on the FotoZon web site. In one year, a lot of interesting photos have been submitted. Many web sites, blogs and personal pages have put the picture online.Among the developments over the past year:New Archive Section - I used a fancy "Light Room" javascript and a little programming to http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/06/picture-of-day-one-year.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-3266509113039380961Sat, 24 May 2008 09:29:00 +00002008-12-12T15:00:29.434+08:00customweddingcar Because I was born as a pig (in the Chinese 12 animal symbols) I had a chance to ride in the wedding cars today! The normal guy who drives and arranged the borrowed cars was born a mouse so according to today's date, it was not good for him to drive. Don't ask me why. One of the older uncles told me I could probably spend a lifetime trying to figure out all the Chinese customs and still not http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/05/i-was-in-wedding.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-71700978733383715Sat, 17 May 2008 15:28:00 +00002008-12-12T15:00:29.987+08:00CKSHSRTaipei101Truth is, I'm not such a great blogger. I don't write that often, and when I finally do sit down to type some thoughts in, they probably aren't even that interesting! Well, actually I normally just run out of time to do anything here. Between work, wife and Two Kids, by the time I get a few minutes of quiet time, I'm ready to hit the hay. I'm not even finding enough time to go out on photo http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/05/we-go-to-taipei.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-7248591394259792053Sat, 26 Apr 2008 04:19:00 +00002008-12-12T15:00:30.812+08:00artTaichungculturemuseumsA while ago we took a trip to the Taichung Art Museum on Wu-Chuan Road. My son is into drawing so I figured he would enjoy the trip and he did. Besides the art hanging on the wall, there was an impressive amount of "Digital Art" which mostly consists of short movies and photos projected on the wall. My kid's favorite part of all was the "movable building" where you stand in front of a laser http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/04/some-culture-in-taichung.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-2077392181113178487Sun, 06 Apr 2008 03:31:00 +00002008-12-12T15:00:32.315+08:00propaneNight Photomotorcyclenight marketLast weekend we spent some time walking around the Feng-Chia Night Market in Taichung, Taiwan on Saturday night. What a difference from our little night market in Yuanlin! We've been there before a few times, but this time we really worked our way through all the different alleys and bowels of the market. Of course it was packed and people were everywhere. Most of the vendors had lines at http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/04/feng-jia.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-1650586915205925054Sun, 30 Mar 2008 04:04:00 +00002008-12-12T15:00:32.910+08:00dollarmoneysavingeconomy In mid 2006, after I lost my job of seven years as a programmer, we decided to sell our house and move to Taiwan for a few years. At the time, our friends thought we were crazy and kept telling us that we wouldn't be able to afford a new place when we returned back to Seattle. Before we actually listed our house, I found another job that let me work from home by telecommuting. It was great http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/03/bloody-rice-cakes-rising.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-3950376700585446679Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:30:00 +00002008-12-12T15:00:33.460+08:00Travel Jade MountainSnowLushanHoly Smokes! Has it really been more than a month since I've written here? I am really falling down on my blogging duties.. Well, between two birthday's in the family, everyone caught the cold, busy at work and everything else, I guess this blog was the last thing in line. For the month of February during Chinese New Year's we took a trip up to LuShan Hot Springs Town off the Central Cross http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/03/march-on.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-704235060986908135Sun, 03 Feb 2008 14:13:00 +00002008-12-12T15:00:33.693+08:00JavaScriptWidgetI completed a JavaScript widget for the Taiwan Pic of the Day this weekend. With this option, webmasters and blogsite owners can display not only the image itself, but also the title and description along with a link directly to the full size image. Check it out and let me know if you use it for your site or have any comments.Best Wishes for a Happy Chinese New Year!Joehttp://fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/02/javascript-widget-completed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-1662465987963641767Tue, 22 Jan 2008 08:53:00 +00002008-01-22T17:08:49.445+08:00Well, it is now easier than ever for members of FlickR to add some pictures to the Taiwan Picture of the Day due to the new group we've created. Thanks to the idea from Craig, now it is easy to add pictures to the group to be considered for the Taiwan Daily Pic. It is quite a bit of work to keep the project maintained and make sure there is a fresh picture everyday to display on the various http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/01/taiwan-pod-flickr-group.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-2924947598609250981Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:24:00 +00002008-01-18T21:52:39.784+08:00HakoneTravelJapan Well, we're back from Japan for a quick vacation in January for one week. We had an absolutely fabulous time! It's amazing to know that Japan is supposedly not experiencing the best economy now. Everything seemed to be fine, and it is a great country. There were so many well dressed Japanese running around in their suits so busy - it's hard to imagine they've been in a pro-longed economic http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/01/back-from-japan.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363087450396498182.post-5762082012560677633Mon, 31 Dec 2007 09:34:00 +00002007-12-31T18:24:16.677+08:00accomplismentsNew Yearsevents2007reviewAnother year in the bag and its been an eventful one! I suppose the obvious thing is to list all the accomplishments and events for the year. However, first I will dedicate this post to our trusty guard man - Mr. Jhang - in the picture in the left. He'll be "forced" into retirement at the end of this year because the building we live in wants to go with a youth movement - like under 55 years http://fotozon.blogspot.com/2007/12/2007-in-review.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Fotozon)3