Humor in Tea .... Humor as a teaching method:

Link to YouTube video released by: Tea Masters, located in Taiwan.
"So here I am in a video where I mime 10 mistakes not to make during a Chaxi. The idea of ​​mime is to allow this video to reach a global audience, without the limit of language, because tea is a universal drink!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7M6vNSXmPQ&t=2s

These 10 mistakes are:
1. The unpreparedness and the presence of objects that have nothing to do in the Chaxi,
2. Use a plastic bag instead of a jar,
3. Touch the leaves when you make them pass between guests,
4. Blow on the leaves when you smell them,
5. Pour the water from the kettle in a hurry,
6. Speak while you pour the water,
7. Watch your watch,
8. Make noise of water by pouring into the waste water bowl,
9. Holding the teapot poorly,
10. Drinking the cup all at once.

Year of the Rat : joining us for tea: Rat 鼠 (shǔ) and Burns Night Jan 25th,

Happy New Year ... 新年快乐 (Xīnnián kuàilè)

恭喜发财 (Kung Hei Fat Choi) I wish you earn more money This year

Some files uploaded to YouTube

November - Taiwan & China .. Food for Thought

 Some friends around the table:

Postcards, Home and Abroad

A busy time around our small planet ...
My friend Rick sends this postcard from Taiwan: ...

"While sitting around drinking tea with my new Taiwanese friends I was thinking of you! Yepper, I'm in Taipei now. I arrived Thursday and will head back to Thailand Tuesday. Just a short emergency business trip at the last minute.

The days have been busy and long but today (Sat) I was able to play tourist a little. I went downtown and to the top of the 101. While walking around the shops I came across a nice tea shop and snapped a pic for you. Well, it's a little past midnight and I need to hit the sack. I hope all is well with you and your family.

I hope you enjoyed the Christmas and New Year holidays. I took 2 weeks off, the family and I went to the in-laws as well as our place in Surin providence. I took many pics and will update my daughter's blog soon. I'll let you know when that occurs as she being almost 3 now has an understanding of Christmas, 'Santa brings big toys!'... haha"

Heather, this for you .. view from the fire trail....

Our own backyard .. Saddle-Back Valley (orange county) just as the sun rises:

Quick Lunch - Unique Restaurant

Tuesday, near our factory; in Shu-Lin City, Taipei County ....... (about 1 hr from Taipei 101) there is a really unique restaurant.
Inside the whole place is made to look like a street scene circa 1930 ish. Plus lots of other "old stuff"
The owner must have had fun creating the place, everywhere you turn is an old something or other ..
L to R: Eric, Felix, Tim and Sherry:...

English Tea, Scottish Whisky, Italian Cars, in Taipei

You just can’t plan this stuff .. serendipity plays its hand…  Early Sunday morning, I have an hour to kill.) Inside 101

Cut and Run .. Typhoon

Mother Nature pressures Father Time.
Taipei 101 at 6:30am Friday morning ...As a Typhoon approaches Taiwan, threatening air travel, Matt and I cut short our visit.
Heading back to Hong Kong and the Mainland this morning.

The eye of the storm was last night projected to make landfall around the northeastern corner of Taiwan sometime early on Sunday morning.
At 8:30pm yesterday, the typhoon was located 640km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan, and moving in a northwesterly direction at 15kph, packing sustained winds of 184kph and gusts up to 227kph.
Winds of up to 88kph have already been recorded off the coast of Wuchi Township (梧棲) in Taichung County as well as off Chipei islet (吉貝嶼), Penghu County, as the storm system approaches.