editing: photos from our trip to the Pu Tian temple and statue garden, random adventures around Hsinchu, and from our Chinese class party. hoping to get it all done before chinese new year break, since I'm sure to amass more pictures while on vacation.
eating: curry fans is our latest restaurant obsession. can you call twice in 4 days an obsession? after a cold and windy scoot around town, walking in and being handed a hot bowl of flavorful broth is like a sip of heaven. their thai beef pumpkin curry is perfection in a bowl. just incredible. I can't seem to find a website, but expect a post on this place in the future. I also made my own refried black beans for the very first time... amazing. we're never buying canned beans again.
sweating: my first run! [well, kindof.] now that I'm done with subbing, I've been getting back to the gym. I've graduated myself from the bike to the elliptical, and earlier this week I warmed up with a jog around the indoor track. it felt wonderful to run. next trip, I did two laps. my knee had been pretty achey from all the rain and cold, but I'm trying to build up some endurance in anticipation of our vacation. I plan to spend a lot of time on the beach, but I'd like to be able to suffer through a hike or two and some sightseeing.
decorating: I finally finished painting the third canvas that I bought way back when. I've been trying to figure out what will match our living room and decided to copy the pattern on our chair. the colors aren't exact, but it turned out really well. the first canvas was this DIY tape project. the second canvas... I'm going to repaint because it did not turn out right. I've also been working on a Valentine's revamp of my bunting banner, and started a display for my mini instax photos.
anticipating: our trip to thailand! we leave in 10 days, and just finished booking our hotel in bangkok and flight down to krabi. I'm already starting to get panicky about packing... I've never been on a trip like this... or had only a backpack to travel with. I'm trying to remind myself that barely 6 months ago I packed MY ENTIRE LIFE into 3 suitcases and moved to the other side of the world, so 10 days out of a pack in Thailand should be a piece of [gluten-free] cake. regardless of what will or won't fit in my bag, it's going to be an incredible trip. temples, markets, longtail boats, beaches, waterfalls, tasty food, good company, and more stamps in my passport. and most importantly, some time to relax.
reading: I recently downloaded a bunch of classic novels, and I'm debating between starting Wuthering Heights [have not read in a decade] and Little Women [never read]. in the meantime, I've been catching up on blogs. the internet has been full of awesome inspiration since the new year, so I'll leave you with a list of posts that have really resonated with me:
rejecting negativity [wonderforest]
adapt, quit, or evolve [a beautiful mess]
"finding yourself" [the daybook]
taking care of yourself [maiedae]
fear + blogging [our city lights]
relationship challenge [the happiness project]
28 questions to ask yourself [tiny buddha]
this is your year [the atelier]
["currently" post inspired by Danielle at Sometimes Sweet]
