Today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent…. And it was also exactly a year ago today that our beloved retired Bishop of Taiwan, 簡啟聰主教 John C. T. Chien died, on March 5, 2013. We remember his life and witness with great thankfulness and joy, and continue to pray for Mrs. Grace Chien and the family…. Continue reading One year on: Remembering Bishop John C. T. Chien 簡啟聰主教
Wonderful weather yesterday for Taiwan’s 228 national holiday ~ and it seemed like the whole of Taipei was up on Yang-Ming Shan Mountains making the most of the last few days of the Cherry Blossom season…. And it was quite some day, I can tell you! 3 very delightful students from our university student fellowship and me ~ there we all were standing at the bus stop outside the main SJU gate in the dark at 6:00am, all set for me to lead them on their first ever great ascent of the Yang-Ming Shan mountains…. Can’t believe we did it ha … Continue reading Yang-Ming Shan 陽明山: All Smiles YA!
Well worth reading…. Taiwan’s Falun Gong dilemma – Features – Al Jazeera English. Continue reading Taiwan’s Falun Gong dilemma – Features – Al Jazeera English
Pray for Zanzibar….. Two Bombs Detonated Outside Christ Church Anglican Cathedral, Zanzibar. Continue reading Two Bombs Detonated Outside Christ Church Anglican Cathedral, Zanzibar
Last night was our Advent Church 一家一菜 (one family, one dish) potluck party /Jacob’s Join to celebrate Chinese New Year… followed by some wonderful games that caused much hilarity…. And here we all are, enjoying delicious food and having a great time! Continue reading Advent Church 一家一菜 Potluck Party ~ Yummy Yummy!
Only 5 minutes walk from Taiwan’s most famous university, NTU (National Taiwan University), and its busy student shopping area and night markets, is this rather amazing village stuck on the side of a hill, Treasure Hill in fact…. After the war, lots of KMT soldiers were released from the Chinese military and settled here, building their own homes with rocks from the river, many still live here, plus artists in an artist village… This month, the village is hosting an art festival, hence lots of weird, wacky and wonderful objects! Fascinating place, well worth a visit! Continue reading Treasure Hill 寶藏巖, Taipei….
Launching a restaurant selling ‘Traditional British Food’ right in the heart of a culture where food is the ultimate obsession is not for the faint-hearted…. but this is it! Tamsui’s 英國奶奶 Britshake restaurant, run by Amy and her husband is really a brave venture, but of course the food is great and Amy charms everyone by her vibrant and lively personality, so there’s queues of satisfied customers lining up for photos with her…. Amy comes from Lincoln in England and with her Taiwanese husband is determined to change Taiwanese perceptions of British food. So armed with chef qualifications and plenty … Continue reading Fish ‘n Chips in Tamsui… yep, the real thing!
Yesterday’s Lantern Festival in Taipei was spectacular – a huge area near the Expo and Art Museum and everywhere were lanterns of all shapes and sizes, many of gods and ancient sages, myths and traditional stories, also big lantern displays from schools of all ages, fun lanterns and aboriginal indigenous ones, all with an abundance of horses of course…. Happy Year of the Horse ~ and that marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations for this year…. and a new semester starts next week here at SJU! Continue reading Taipei Lantern Festival
and Happy Lantern Festival – the last day of Chinese New Year, and there’s lantern horses everywhere and big celebrations tonight… Should you be looking for someone to celebrate Valentines Day with, look no further than this new sign that I noticed at Chinese New Year in a street near St. James’ Church in Taichung…. Love it! Just hoping that ‘Everlasting’ applies only to ‘Marriage’ rather than the whole title – otherwise their work’ll never be done! Continue reading Happy Valentines Day…
Catherine Lee 