In the last few months, I have been extremely busy working on my book “The Yin and Yang of the Dragon and the Eagle: Tale of Two Cultures and Two Countries.” It is planned to be published soon in English and Chinese by Maestro Book Publishing, although it has been difficult and time-consuming working with Maestro Book Publishing.
I also want to give you an update on my health after I had my stroke a little more than two years ago in September 2023. Normally according to Chinese medicine, if one takes acupuncture treatment for a stroke, the treatment can be more effective if the acupuncture treatment is started within the first ten days of the stroke. If it cannot be started within the first 10 days, then the acupuncture treatment should be started within the first month of the stroke. Unfortunately, I was not aware of this information, and my acupuncture treatment did not begin until around summer 2024, more than half a year after I had my stroke in September 2023.
In early July 2025, I also had pneumonia. Although this pneumonia did not seem to affect me in a significant way, it did cause me to lose about 15 pounds during those 3-4 weeks. I am now beginning to try to gain back some of those 15 pounds, which is not so easy since I have also lost some of my appetite. Therefore, while trying to eat more to gain back some of my lost weight, besides doing the twice weekly physical therapy exercises, I also need to do more regular exercises, including with weights to build back my strength, much more walking to restore my stamina, and also more Taiji exercises to increase my overall health. Whether I will be able to do that consistently during the next few months will determine the amount and speed of my recovery.
As part of my recovery from my stroke, I plan to work out in the Fitness Factory located at Bell Works, which is very close and within walking distance of my house. Bell Works is also in the building where I do my Physical Therapy. So both places (the Fitness Factory and Bell Wellness) are within walking distance of my house. At the Fitness Factory, over the next three months, I will be working on:
(1) with weights to increase my loss of strength
(2) with much more walking and threadmills to increase my stamina.
I will be doing these exercises at the Fitness Factory or at home (since we also have a good threadmill at home).
Hopefully with Physical Therapy and these exercises, my health will improve. On the other hand, I may be just facing the consequences of old age.
