I started 2017 on a rooftop watching slightly obstructed views of six different firework shows. I didn't celebrate with champagne, but instead canned, sparkling wine from Family Mart. The evening started with Indian food, KTV, and a stroll through the night market with more fireworks. It was a pretty great way to ring in the new year.
Test fireworks at the night market.
So far my 2017 has been filled with exploration. I embarrassingly enough still feel like I have only seen a little of Taiwan. So I have been taking day trips to try to make the most of my time here. On New Year's Day, I Skyped with my family and our friends the Hogans to wish them a happy New Year. Then my friend Michael and I took a bus to Lukang. The city has one big, winding market. We wandered through the streets browsing and snacking on street foods. It was pretty busy and took some effort to shuffle through the crowds.
Here is a picture of the crowded street in Lukang.
The following day Michael and I took a bus to Sun Moon Lake. This is usually one of the first sights people see in Taiwan. While I had driven by it, I had never actually taken the time to explore. We got a packaged deal that included a roundtrip bus ticket, a boat ride to three different stops around the lake, a bus around the lake, and a gondola ride. All this was just a little of $20 USD. Michael was very impressed with this deal. We took the boat ride first, which was relaxing to be on the water. We got lunch at a couple different street vendors, including a Taiwanese hamburger place. Instead of an American hamburger, it had seasoned chicken with cabbage on a rice bun. We also got Bánh mì, a Vietnamese sandwich on French bread. I took a bite first. "How is it?" Micheal asked. "Well I only had a bite of bread, but the bread tastes so good!" I answered. It is hard to come by good French bread. The gondola lift provided a clear, picturesque view of the lake. There was an Aboriginal tourist village at the top, but we chose not to pay the extra admission to go inside. The rest of our time at the lake we spent just walking around. There was not a path all the way around the lake, but we were able to walk for a bit before heading back. It was a beautiful day to be at the lake.
View of Sun Moon Lake
Gnomeo enjoying the sunshine.
The following weekend I went on another day trip. Taiwan has lots of great hikes, of which I had been on 0. Dakeng is about an hour's scoot away. I finally felt comfortable enough to scoot up and down the winding mountain roads. Once Tyler, Michael, April, Hannah, and I reached Dakeng, there were several hikes to choose from. The path was a little intimidating. It was essentially a wooden plank bridge all the way up the mountain with a post and rope handrail. It went up, up, up. The trail was fairly crowded with us having to frequently stop and turn sideways to let others pass. Others would tell us "jia you," which literally translates to "put more gas in." On the trail it was meant as words of encouragement to not give up. There were even a couple of dogs that would run between our legs up the trail. There was not much of a view at the top, but there were decks with benches to take a little break. We chatted for a bit before heading back down. My calves were shaky by the time we reached our scooters. I certainly felt sore for the next week after. It was a nice hike and I want to go back to explore the other trails.
Here we are on the trail of Dakeng. Picture by Tyler.
This past weekend on Saturday, I did English storytelling at the library. On Sunday, we were going to go to Sanyi (a woodcarving village). However, it was cold and rainy, so we decided it against it though. A wet and cold hour long scoot is no fun. Instead we went to the science musuem and I made friends with guide dogs in the park. So 2017 has been off to a great start. I don't really do resolutions for the New Year, because I have found that they are usually fleeting. However, almost every year Neil Gaiman posts a wish for others in the upcoming year. You can read some of his past ones here (http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2016/12/another-year.html). This year, his wish was in the form of Leonard Cohen's song "Democracy." I can get behind wishes, so here is my wish for all of you in 2017 with some help from people smarter than me.
In the
upcoming year of great unknowns, I wish that you can hold onto your
hopefulness. As Dumbledore said, “Happiness
can be found in even the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the
light.”
I wish that
you be gentle and kind to yourself. You say things in your head you would never
let another person say aloud to you. Don’t listen to this voice. No one is
really thinking that much about you, so don’t worry what others might think
about you. Do listen to the voice that says I don’t know what I do, but I know
that it’s not this. Accept what you deserve, which is a boatload, at least. You
are enough.
I wish for
you to hold onto the friendships that make you a better person and let go of
the ones that don’t.
I wish that
you use your voice, in whatever form that takes, to stand up for something you
believe in. We are going to need a lot of voices this year. It’s going to get
loud.
Finally, I
hope that you laugh and explore and spend more time doing things that make you
happy. As John Lennon said, “When I went
to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy.’
They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t
understand life.”
Let's be honest, 2016 was kind of a dumpster fire year. There was seemingly a lot of terrorist activity. In the United States, there were constant examples of racism and sexism. The greatest example probably was electing an unqualified candidate who is both sexist and a racist. Not to mention the countless great entertainers we lost this year. Yep. Dumpster Fire.
2016.
This year wasn't all that bad though, especially for me personally. I started 2016 by doing daily sub jobs after a long term subbing assignment ended. After that assignment ended, I was really questioning whether I wanted to continue teaching. The daily sub jobs allowed me to gain confidence in teaching. I could go into a classroom with students I didn't know and be seen as a teacher. Eventually this led me to another long term subbing job that also redeemed my faith in teaching. Then I moved to Taiwan. I have loved living abroad and being able to travel. I have also made some good friends and have strengthened the relationship with some of my friends back home. I love to reflect this time of year and think about all the changes in my life. I also love reading year end lists of best of and favorites, so I created one of my own. Here are some of my favorite things from 2016. Turns out, I listened to a lot of good music in 2016.
Song to listen to on repeat while writing
"Formation" by Beyonce
Beyonce is a national treasure. This year she slayed with Lemonade. I have listened to "Formation" probably over a hundred times. It was my go-to song to play on repeat while writing. Now, I need to listen to go it again. . .
MVP
Lin-Manuel Miranda
I was a little late to the Hamilton game. Once I got on the train, I did not get off. Lin-Maunel Miranda wrote the book, music, and starred in the title role of Hamilton. This year Hamilton won 11 Tony Awards. Miranda wrote a killer sonnet for one of his acceptance speeches. Who does that? He also co-wrote a book about Hamilton, released the Hamilton Mix Tape, and co-wrote the music for the movie Moana. All of which, is just so good! He is delightful on Twitter and always seems so kind and generous. Just give him all the things already!
Pump Up Song
"The Greatest" by Sia
This song is inspired by the shooting that took place in Orlando. With the repeated chorus of "don't give up, I won't give up" it is hard to give up with Sia telling you not to.
-ism
Feminism
Although there is still a long ways to go with gender equality, this year had some great steps in the right direction. For the first time a woman was female presidential candidate on a major party ticket. The Senate now has the highest number of women of color on record. Taiwan elected a single, female president. Women athletes continue to be impressive from Serena Williams to Simone Biles to Katie Ledecky. While I have always considered myself a feminist, this year I became much more outspoken in my feminism. My favorite podcast (see below) helped me with this. Mode of Transportation
Scooter
After getting in my scooter accident, I didn't know if I wanted a scooter. I am so glad I eventually got one though. My drives to and from work are now (mostly) stressfree and enjoyable.
Podcast
Call Your Girlfriend
This podcast is two long-distance female friends having conversations. The conversations range from politics to pop culture to women's health. It is engaging and feminist. The first time I listened to it, I went on a walk that ended up being four hours because I did not want to stop listening. It is one of the podcasts that I listen to without fail.
Brother-Sister Duo
Alex and Maia Shibutani
Last January I went to some of the Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Paul. I haven't really followed ice skating since the Kristi Yamaguchi was big. I didn't have anyone I was really rooting for. That changed when I saw the Shibutanis skate. They are a brother/sister pair of ice dancers. They are phenomenal.
Meme
Biden: Ok here's the plan: have you seen Home Alone
Barack Obama and Joe Biden Memes
Post-election was rough. These gave me a little bit of laughter in the time afterwards. I am really going to miss these two.
Song That Makes Me Want to Cry (in a good way)
This song is on the Hamilton Mixtape. This is a song that is also on the original broadway recording of Hamilton, but it is sung a little bit different here. Regina Spektor and Ben Folds sing this song in a way that is so sweet and hopeful.
Way to Work Out
The Fitness Marshall
My friend Tyler introduced me to the Fitness Marshall. He does dance workout videos to pop songs. Usually I like the songs better after we have danced to them. We rent out a fitness room in our apartment a couple of times a week to workout. The dances range in difficulty, but are always fun. His commentary is pretty funny too.
Athlete
Simon Biles
I did not know anything about Simone Biles until this year. Once I found out about her, I could not stop watching videos of all of her routines.
Sequel
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
I read about 40 books this year, which is not a lot for me. I keep track of the books I read through Goodreads. Looking at my list of books from this year, I noticed a lot of sequels. There were many good ones, particularly fantasy and/or YA. I enjoyed the finall books in the Every YA series by Ellie Marney. Another very good YA ending to the series was The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkowski. My favorite though was A Court of Mist and Fury. It is a new adult fantasy series. The first one was a Beauty and the Beast retelling. This book diverged from the retelling into something of its own. Maas is very good at worldbuilding and having her characters constantly grow and change. With the way this book ended, I am really looking forward to reading the next one when it comes out in May. TV Character
Dustin from Stranger Things
Frequently when watching a movie or TV show, I often have a problem with how kids are portrayed. The dialogue will frequently feel inauthentic and it is obvious that an adult wrote it. Kids act in a way that they probably wouldn't in real life. The actors who play the kids in Stranger Things are all great. More importantly, they act and behave in a way that kids would. It felt authentic. My favorite was Dustin, because he is goofy and loyal. Food MVP
White Rice
So far this year I have eaten a lot of rice. It has really become a diet staple. I don't mind though. 90s Throwback
TLC
When my friends and I go to KTV (karaoke), the English songs that are available are mostly hits from the 90s and early 2000s. I don't really remember listening to TLC when I was younger, but thanks to KTV I have been reacquainted. They have several great songs that I have since revisited. My KTV standards is "No Scrubs."
Music Video
"Soy Yo" by Bomba Estereo
I posted about this music video in another post, but it is worth re-posting. I love everything about this music video. The song is very catchy, but the music video has good representation of people of color. The girl's dancing is also on-point.
New TV Show
Lady Dynamite
I didn't watch a whole lot of TV this year. I continued watching a couple shows, but very few new shows caught my attention. Netflix has been putting out some great series. Lady Dynamite is one of them. Maria Bamford is a Minnesota-based comedian known for destigmatizing mental illness. Her show is largely based on her life and follows her during three different parts of her life. Like her stand-up this show is very weird, but in the best possible way. Many comedians also make guest appearances, so it is fun to see who is going to show up next. Go-To Karaoke Song
"It's All Coming Back to Me" by Celine Dion
We sing this at KTV every time without fail. It is long, but has so many different parts with lots of opportunity for dramatic flair.
Best Celebrity Memoir
Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
I read quite a bit on non-fiction this year, mostly of which were essay collections and/or written by celebrities. Anna Kendrick's was my favorite of this year. She is very funny and relatedable in her writing about her time starring as a kid on Broadway to her career now.
New Routine
Sunday Night yoga
I started going to yoga to become more mindful. I have a hard time clearing my mind and thought yoga would be a good way to work on that. My balance and flexibility are also not great. Since moving to Taiwan, I now go to yoga class with my friends Michael and Jacob almost every Sunday. It has helped me with my mindfulness, flexibility, and balance and is a great way to start to week.
