oooh, eow, ouch!

I went surfing again today, this time with my co-worker, Walsh. Today was a lot more frustrating, with many an ignominious moment out on the water: the waves weren't as forgiving, but I can now tell the difference between a 12' long board and a 9' one, and I am bruised, cut, and scraped up all over. I hate doing anything poorly, though, so I will go out again and master this. When I complained to Walsh that today felt off, he told me to get used to it and that surfing is a lot like golf, only more fun.

In any case, the northeast coast of Taiwan was gorgeous today. We went north of Wanli, just past Jinshan.

I definitely need to work out more, though. These past few weeks I've either been too busy or too lazy. I haven't climbed as often as I usually do, my trainer has been busy opening up Alexander's new branch, and instead of going to the gym on Wednesday, Angela and I stayed home to cook up a storm (and eat it all, too!). We also stripped and re-affixed a telephone line ourselves to fix my telephone line and our ADSL connection that had gotten damaged by flooding owing to the typhoon. There's nothing like figuring things out ourselves--instead of relying on a guy--that inspires confidence.

Aere is here

Great news today! Well, not great news for all, but great news for my short-term selfish goals: a typhoon day! I've never had a typhoon day since I started working here, and let me tell you, today is a much needed break. I had such a frustrating day at work yesterday, juggling a multitude of projects at once and not having a moment to breathe. Anyways, got to sleep in this morning, do yoga, and I'll get to putter about the house and read later.

Had an interesting, overall mellow weekend. Not quite sure what to make of it, but I did get to catch up on some sleep and chill. One more weekend in Taipei and then I'm off for a much needed vacation to the States to see family and friends that I haven't seen in ages!

Surf's up!

I went surfing for the first time this past weekend, out in Ilan. Apparently I was quite a natural, as I stood up several times, and twice for a good length of time. I should hope so as I am a) already a strong swimmer, b) have been working on my core strength and balance with my trainer for over half a year, and c) have strong upper-body strength. Anyways, the weather was absolutely gorgeous with clear, sunny skies. Thanks to Wayne and Dave for being my surfing enablers!

Oh my...

Today is Thursday, and I've already worked over 60 hours this week. HOWEVER. I am leaving the office right after this post. Yup, in just a few moments, I am leaving. I was actually quite perky yesterday, after aching all day Tuesday (both head and body). Tuesday night I hoofed it home, turned off my cell, took a multivitamin, extra vitamin C, and some ibuprofen and was in bed before 11:30. Unfortunately, I was in the office until past midnight yesterday. I took a cab home, only to realize I had forgotten my wallet back in the office. The driver was extremely understanding, and I ended up reserving him for my commute today since I didn't even have NT$20 on me to take the subway in the morning. So I got into the office a bit earlier than usual (6:45am) and rushed right up to grab my wallet and pay the poor cabbie.

My highlight of the week is the jazz dance class I took with Angela on Monday. Although I have the strength, I must have the world's worst flexibility, and I'm sure I must have looked pretty ridiculous compared to the other students. But it felt so good to move my body in non-linear directions. Cheers to Angie for introducing us to the dance studio!

Back again

I haven't posted in awhile as I've been caught up in earnings season. My record was a 19-hour workday. Thankfully, I do find what I do incredibly interesting, and rarely notice the long hours. Last Thursday I fully intended to leave work early and perhaps go climbing, but I became so interested in a particular file that by the time I noticed the time, it was already past 10pm.

Just so I don't forget, in the past two weeks we had an ORIENTED Happy Hour at Luxy, I attend an MIT alumni event at an art galery, tried out the new branch of NY Bagel (good ideas, poor execution) with Angie, Jen, Angela, and Felix, had dinner with the girls Friday night, lounged poolside with Eve and Juan yesterday morning, and had dinner last night in honor of both Patty's and Felicia's visits to Taipei. Anyways, I should be off to run some more errands...