Ask Daniel Fung

The door for 2016 has closed and never to be reopened. All you have are the memories (good and bad) to remember the year. You can’t change the memories, but you can change your perspectives about them.

As one door closes another one opens. What is your plan this for this year? Seriously, have you asked yourself what you would like to achieve that would make it a great year? I’m not talking about resolutions (did you know that 92% of people FAIL to achieve their New Year’s goals and resolutions). Could it be something in your business? Personal development? Financial? Spiritual? Family? Travel? Relationship?

Have you even thought about it? The good news is you’re not too late and there’s still time to create the awareness and find the clarity of what you want to achieve? If you’re over 30, I’m offering a free 30-minute call where I can help you clarify your thoughts and help you focus and hopefully set you on the right path. I have a limited number of time slots available, so book early by clicking on the following link http://bit.ly/2hI64yd.

May you have a prosperous 2017.

I have the privilege of blogging for TEDxStanleyPark 2017 which takes place on March 4th, 2017 at the QE Theatre. This year's theme is “Inspiring Brave Actions“. This will be my 2nd year participating at TEDxStanleyPark and I was truly inspired by last year’s event. I know TEDxStanleyPark 2017 will be no different. There will be 13 speakers at this event to inspire you, make you cry, make you think and make you laugh. Some of the popular speakers are Elizabeth May, Gordon Campbell, and Vikrim Vij. For a full list of the speakers and their topic, check out http://www.tedxstanleypark.com/

As we near the end of 2016, we have lined up some special deals for anyone who purchases a ticket ($77 -  $127) in December. There are 5 bonuses that add up to a value of $255. Theoretically, this means that we’re paying you to attend the event. What a deal!!!

Bonus 1: Float House will give you an introductory float in its Sensory Deprivation Tank. Conditions apply. Retail value $75.

Bonus 2: Guiides.com will give you a guided running, cycling or foraging tour of Stanley Park. Conditions apply. Retail value $45.

Bonus 3:  Museum of Vancouver will give you 2 tickets to explore the Vancouver history galleries and exhibitions. Conditions apply. Retail value $30.

Bonus 4: Yuk Yuks Comedy Club will give you 4 tickets to a stand-up comedy show. Conditions apply. Retail value $40.

Bonus 5: Elegance MD MediSpa will give you a 30-minute MediCupping massage. Conditions apply. Retail value $65.

We arrived in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho at approximately 2:30PM and checked into our hotel. I didn’t realize that Coeur D’Alene was only about 10KM East of the Washington/Idaho border and is the largest city in the Idaho panhandle.

Normally we don’t watch television while on vacation but for some odd reason, we started watching a movie called “Sharknado”. It’s one of those senseless movies, and you can’t resist but watch the whole thing. Then “Sharknado 2” started airing. Looked like it was going to be a Sharknado marathon. I decided that I wasn’t going to sit around wasting my time, especially when on vacation.

We heard there was a theme park nearby called Silverwood and there was a discounted entry rate starting at 5PM. Silverwood is a duo theme park consisting of rides and a waterpark. It’s a 20-minute drive North of Coeur D’Alene. We paid our discounted rate and headed to the waterpark first as it closes at 7PM. It was a great way to cool down as it was so hot. As the waterpark closed we headed towards the rides. My oldest son rode on all 4 roller coasters and it such a joy to him. His favourite was the Aftershock. There was no way I would accompany him, however, I did ride on the Timber Terror with him. The park closed at 9PM and we made it back to our room around 11PM. We would have to get up early as we wanted to arrive in West Yellowstone in the early afternoon.

We’re on our way to Grand Coulee Dam and the last time I visited this place was in my teenage years when my Dad drove us here as part of a long road trip down to California. That was over 30 years ago.

From Leavenworth, we drove Eastward on Highway 2 until we reached Coulee City. From there we headed Northbound on Highway 155 to Grand Coulee Dam. I forgot how beautiful the drive was on Highway 155 overlooking Banks Lake from the right side, gazing at the clear blue water and in the background would be layers and layers of rock formations which were carved out from the Missoula Floods from the last ice-age. I think it would be great spending a couple extra days exploring this area. There are activities such as boating, fishing, horseback riding, camping, hiking.

We arrived at Grand Coulee Dam around noon. It was hot and didn’t seem busy. The dam is a gravity type dam and is used to provide hydroelectric power and water irrigation. The dam was constructed between 1932 and 1942 with two power plants. A third one was built by 1974 as demand for electricity increased. The dam supplies 75% of the total electricity requirements to the Pacific Northwest.

In the visitor center, there is a great display of the history of the area, tools used, and construction techniques. Definitely worth checking out if you’re nearby.

Goodbye, Leavenworth. We sure had a lot of fun here and we’ll be back. Perhaps in the winter as I’ve heard it’s really beautiful at this time. I’ve already been checking rates from Amtrak and they are quite reasonable.

We departed around 9AM which was later than usual as our next final destination was only about a 5-hour drive away with a stop at Grand Coulee Dam. However, just as we left Leavenworth we saw a fruit stand, Smallwood’s Harvest that intrigued us. I’m glad we stopped to take a look. We spent about 30 minutes there eyeing at all the fresh looking fruits and merchandise. Smallwood’s Harvest is known for the largest assortments of specialty and gourmet foods in the valley. There are also children activities as well (petting zoo, and maze to name a few).

I was really amazed at the different types and varieties of fruit they had. They all looked so delicious and I could not believe how large the fruits were and no blemishes. They looked too good to eat.

You can order merchandise from their website, however they cannot ship to Canada due to Custom regulatory issues.

The reason why we made Leavenworth a stop along our 3-week vacation was to see “The Sound of Music”, which has been a dream for my wife for many years. In the summer months between July and August, Leavenworth Summer Theater presents 3 plays and this year it was “The Sound of Music”, “Singin’ In the Rain” and “Beauty and the Beast”. We were fortunate and saw the first two plays. Each play is performed at a different venue.

At our first evening in Leavenworth, we saw “The Sound of Music” which was presented at the Ski Hill Amphitheater. A 5-minute drive north of the town. Once we parked our car, we walked up a dirt trail to the amphitheater. We were asked if we would like to rent cushions while watching play. It was only $1 each and money well spent. A cast member took our ticket stubs and showed us to our seats.  They would place the ticket stubs on the seat that were assigned to us. The seats were basically plastic folding chairs. Sitting on these chairs for 2+ hours would have been very uncomfortable if it weren’t for the cushions. The performance started at dusk and the director used all the natural surroundings to make the play even richer. Cast members would be entering from behind us. Other times they would be singing afar on top of rocks. The stage was designed so that it could change from scene to scene very quickly. It was a clear night, and watching the play under the stars and moonlight was definitely a treat. I didn’t get a chance to take any pictures or any videos as it was prohibited. The cast was great and I enjoyed all the songs performed as it reminded me of the movie. Definitely worth seeing again.

The next evening we saw, “Singin’ In the Rain”. This performance was presented at the hatchery which is 10 minutes south of the town. Again we rented the cushions and cast members led us to our seats. What was really interesting was that many of the performers from the previous night were performing in this play as well. I’ve only seen the movie once in my life and that was over 35 years ago. The only songs I remembered was, “Singin’ In the Rain” and “Good Morning”. Having said that, I really enjoyed the play and plan to watch the movie.  

As for “Beauty and the Beast”, the play was presented at the Leavenworth Festhalle. We never got a chance to see the play as we were headed to our next stop, Coeur D’Alene. I’m sure it would have been a hit for us.

Visiting Leavenworth, Washington has always been a dream for my wife, and I will explain why in a future blog. Leavenworth is a small town 120 miles East of Seattle and was established in 1889 by Captain Charles Leavenworth. Originally it was a logging town and became the headquarters for the Great Northern Railroad in the early 1900’s. The town of about 2,000 people transformed itself in the 1960’s into a Bavarian township as it was struggling as a logging town. Leavenworth has now over 2 million visitors annually from all over the world.

We arrived on July 29th and was met with an intense heat of 38C as we stepped out of the car. I’m from Vancouver, Canada and the average temperature is around 22C at this time. Our first stop was the Chamber of Commerce to get brochures of places to eat and visit. We thank the workers by gifting them Maple candy, my wife’s tradition.

We checked into the Obertal Inn which is located in the centre of town. The Inn is a bed and breakfast and has 27 rooms. We were quite impressed with the breakfast offerings, especially the granola mix. I heard that it was custom made by the staff. Our room was furnished with a TV, Wi-Fi, coffee maker, microwave, mini-fridge and most importantly air-conditioning. There is also a hot tub for you to enjoy, but we passed as it was too hot. I’m sure it would be ideal in the cooler months. Overall the value was great considering we were in the heart of Leavenworth and everything was walking distant.  I would definitely stay here again on my next visit.

As we relaxed and cooled down in our room, we became very hungry. What do you eat when you’re in Germany? Sausages and beer, of course!!! We ended up walking to the Munchen Haus and enjoyed some sausages, pretzels, and beer. Prices ranged between $5 to $6. The only thing I wished they would serve was pomme frites (shoestring fries). This was a favorite for our family when we visited Germany a few years ago.

The next day we got up at a reasonable time, not too early, had breakfast and hiked around Blackbird Island, which was created by silt accumulation. It’s an easy 2 mile walk just 5 minutes to the West of our accommodations. One thing that I was very impressed with while in Leavenworth was the absence of mosquitoes. Our family seems to be easy bait for these blood suckers.

After our hike around Blackbird Island, the boys gathered an appetite and wanted pizza. We decided to try Idlewild Pizza which was across the street from Obertal Inn. Great choice. We ordered a Cobb Salad, Pepperoni, and Bacon Pizza. The boys devoured the two pizzas while my wife and I enjoyed the salad.

Since Pokemon Go had just been released, the boys wanted to go on their own, explore and catch some characters. My wife and I checked out some stores. The shops that you must visit at are Nussknacker Haus, Kris Kringle, Schocolat, and The Oil & Vinegar Cellar. My favorite store was A Matter of Taste. It had a huge assortments of dips and sauces. They also had a variety of hot sauces. I noticed one customer choking and told me to try one of the samples. Once I saw it, I kindly declined as there was no way I would try it. Now, I love hot stuff but I’m not stupid.

We met up with the boys and we wanted something quick before our next event. Across the street from the Obertal Inn, was a burger joint called Fresh Burger Cafe. I thought, “Oh no, not another burger place”. There was a lineup at the till and the place was packed, so we gave it a shot. I don’t know what it is, but everytime I go on vacation, the food at the restaurants you choose is just simply delicious. The burgers and salads at this place were phenomenal and the prices were reasonable.  

Read my next blog and I will tell you what our evenings were like. You’ll see why Leavenworth, was on our list of places to visit.

This is the first post of my journey with my boys, Cameron, Jordon and Nathan and along with my wife Delores in the Northern States and Western Provinces. We arrived at the Peace Arch border around 10:30AM and were asked only one question by the U.S. Customs officer, "Where are you headed off to?" We answered his question and he replied, "Have a great day?" I looked at my wife and we both thought, “That’s it?”. Normally we get drilled with tons of questions. Anyways we were off. 

We headed down I-5 and stopped off at the Wal-Mart in Tulalip. This is a normal stop when we head down to the States. We picked up a few snacks and drinks. In case you haven’t notice, our Canadian dollar is much weaker than the US dollar, there’s a 30-35% difference. We drove past Everett and then turned onto Highway 2 to Leavenworth. It was a lovely drive, especially along Stevens Pass.

We arrived in Leavenworth around 4:30PM and met with Jessica at the Chamber of Commerce who shared with us what to see and do during our time here.

We checked in at the Orbertal Inn and noticed a digital weather station on the counter. I could not believe how hot it was. Fortunately, it was dry. Back home, we’re not used to this hot weather (average temp is 80 F in the summer).

I am learning to live in Freedom every day.  What this means to me is that I’m taking more risks. I’m connecting with more people. I like to find out what makes them tick. As a result of this, I was interviewed by Rod Janz of Fuel Radio and became a Transformer of the Week. To read the full article, click here.

I owe this journey to my master coach Rhonda Britten.