NaBloPoMo 2015: Day 15 "Just keep swimming"

#19 Reach my Nike Fuelgoal of 3,000 fuel points every day for a week

I MADE IT.

Hoo boy, was this challenge...challenging.

During the week when I was at work, I barely made any fuel points while teaching, so I would get home late after meetings and dinners and dance like a mad woman to The Fitness Marshall YouTube videos, trying to hit my goal before midnight. EXHAUSTING.

(I took photos of all of my goal celebrations on the fuel band, but have currently misplaced them. Womp Womp.)

I was thrilled that I actually - amazingly- made it thru this goal, but also ecstatic to have it behind me, haha. The weekend was the only easy part, since I went hiking and very quickly achieved the fuelpoint goal.

Fitness it always the goal, though, more than a number or target, and that's why I love the fuelband. It's a reminder to stay active, even if only through simple arm movements. It's also a super schwanky looking watch!

Carpe calories,

A

NaBloPoMo 2015: Day 14 "I'll be back"

#21 Watch the Terminator movies

I guess you could say the Terminator movies almost fall into the "classic film" category, they've been so canonized into our lexicon and cultural consciousness. But somehow I had never watched them. Unfortunately, I did actually watch the most recent reboot ("Terminator: Genisys") before watching any of the originals, which was a very bizarre way to do it.

Survey says?: I had so much fun watching life breathed into lines I've quoted so many times. And you guys - I was so very behind! I knew so little! I was gobsmacked to discover that the terminator is BAD in the first movie. Obviously I knew "I'll be back" but had no idea of the hilarious context (what a moment!) Same with "hasta la vista."

Adam watched the first 2 with me, and swears that there's no reason for me to continue watching. Soooo, I'm saying NO to the crappy sequels and considering this one done!

Carpe robot,

A

NaBloPoMo 2015: Day 13 "Presence is a present"

#11 Give yoga/meditation a real shot

This has been a pivotal event for me: I was walking to work, and when my crosswalk guide turned green, multiple cars streamed through the zebra stripes, seemingly caring zip about the people trying to get across.

I felt such frustration at them for behaving unsafely and endangering everyone that I slapped the tail of one car as it fled merrily away.

I felt immediate shame. What if my boss had been at the stoplight, and watched me do that? Or a coworker? Or a friend? Or anyone, really.

And a seed was planted deep: I don't want to be a person who gets angry over something as small as a car.

So I've started taking a moment in bed every morning, after giving Boo Thang a good morning kiss, but before everything really starts, and just asking myself two questions: 1. What kind of person do I want to be today? 2. What is actually important/meaningful? It's a focusing moment, and has already made my days lighter and better.

But to truly satisfy this "30 item" I went online and found several "meditation for beginners" YouTube videos. I tried a different video each morning for about 5 days. And I enjoyed it (some videos more than others), and even found it to be helpful for my attitude and posture and breathing throughout the day.

But after those 5 days, I left off practicing and honestly didn't miss it either. A strong case could be made that I didn't actually give it enough time or effort, but I'm satisfied regardless. Maybe I'll take it up again in the future, maybe not!

Until then, carpe breathing!

A

NaBloPoMo 2015: Day 12 "Shutterbug"

#9 Learn how to take quality pictures

Here's the  problem:

I learned. I read up on blogs and websites and got the basic principles of photography down.

But I am terrible about practicing what I've learned! Nature and real life just doesn't easily line up for me. I see something I like and then try to force it into the rule of thirds or vanishing perspectives or whatever, instead of seeing THOSE RULES in nature, and capturing them.

My point is, you've also got to have an eye.

Obviously, you can cultivate and develop that eye, like a muscle. But it's not one I think I've ever naturally possessed. I'm excellent as an admirer - if you give me enough time with any bit of art, I think I can even extrapolate and find meaning where there truly exists none, ha.

But my eye doesn't bend and pause over camera frame moments.

Or so it seems! It was interesting to learn the basic techniques of framing and such, and I'm sure I'll keep them in mind, but I'm not going to let myself obsess over getting a "perfect shot" either.

What I will change is my photo volume. Before snapping a photo with my iPhone, ask myself "what am I going to do with this shot?" Is it for a personal collection somewhere? To share with a friend? Or is it just that click-happy impulse that leads to hundreds of unnecessary photos sitting in folders on my hard drive? If the latter, then maybe I don't need to take the photo in the first place and instead just enjoy the view or thing for what it is.

Carpe foto,

A

NaBloPoMo 2015: Day 11 "Aqua vitae"

#7 Drink more water

This is a challenge I keep winning and losing, day on and day off.
I tried labeling a water bottle with how much to drink by certain times, but just couldn't seem to get on top of it in the morning - likely due to my tea-drinking habit. (Tea's not bad, but water's better.) This will just hav to be an ongoing challenge, methinks!

Carpe acqua,

A

NaBloPoMo 2015: Day 10 "Dirty fingernails"

#8 Take a pottery class

It's such a romantic image: the potter, sitting at the spinning wheel, silently caressing the clay into some magnificent vase or bowl or somfin. I've wanted to try that for so long - perhaps since even before I saw "Ghost!"

Regardless, the Thursday before my birthday proper, my dear friend Hyo Jeong and I went to the charming art street in downtown Gwangju. I'd discovered a teacher who had given lessons to expats in the past, and managed to set up our first meeting.

Hyo Jeong and I decided to take a set of 3 lessons, partially to have a set schedule for seeing each other, if nothing else!

Goofing off at Starbucks after class

So happy to be spending time with this lovely woman

I missed more than half of what he said, I'm sure, because Hyo Jeong reminded me that I want to get better at Korean "so isn't it better if he speaks in Korean?"

But I did manage to catch a few things: the silhouette of the piece is what should be fixed in mind before starting. The different types of clay turn different colors when fired, and then colored glazes can be added. The more the clay is handled, the drier it becomes, and the harder to manipulate.

There was more, but the main thing I got out of the lesson was that I really enjoy working with my hands, creatively. I'm not good at it - especially when it comes to adding a design - but I truly enjoy that. There's a deep immersion of concentration that has to go into something like pottery that I find relaxing and challenging at the same time.

We only used our hands, doing the "pinching" technique, as he called it. I was impatient to get to the wheel, but as soon as I had clay in my hands, the impatience was forgotten.

I've had two lessons now, and my final lesson will be on the potter's wheel (at last!). I'll update this post with photos of my final pieces!

I hate that it's not exactly precisely round all over, but it is what these hands could make it

the small loop is a place to set a flower

Carpe diem,

Anna

p.s. Being sick is a great way to say NO to things. I haven't wanted to do anything other than go home and have soup and sleep!

NaBloPoMo 2015: Day 9 "DA SPLITS"

#6 Be able to do a full split

The elusive splits! I've been seeking these for years now, and I grasped my impending entrance to thirty-hood as the perfect time to close the gap - literally.

I only got to a full split on one leg (my more flexible right leg), but I plan to just keep stretching in the mornings, because it feels great. It's a lovely way to wake up. And one is at least ONE.

We took 3 photos, and I had the goofiest expressions on my face in all of them... SMH

Hooray! Mazel tov! Kazoos!

So happy to have crossed this one off my list. :D

Anna

P.S. I am intent on catching up with this challenge! I got behind after my sister's delightful interruption, and then caught a bout of sickness that's been lingering (...and LINGERING...). BACK FROM OUTER SPACE, now. ^^
P.p.s. I have been pretty awesome about saying NO to desserts, despite feeling crummy. Said NO to unnecessary meat, and NO to an event I didn't actually have to attend.

NaBloPoMo 2015: Day 8 "Shaken, Not Stirred"

#1 Learn to make a mixed drink/cocktail

This was so fun. I'm not very comfortable/confident handling alcohol unless it comes in a wine bottle, simply from lack of experience. I don't know what goes into a lot of drinks, and when we had Adam's last birthday, I ended up with some random alcoholic extras because I didn't know what to buy!

Fortunately for me, I know some really cool people. The bartender at my favorite expat restaurant here in Gwangju agreed to let me come by on a slow Tuesday night and he taught me some recipes and let me try to make some drinks.

I learned that you pour and measure by seconds, that drinks are typically stronger in restaurants,that foam on beer means it's healthy, and I got drink recipes for 6 beverages!

This was one of my most fun challenges so far, I have to say.

Cheers!

Anna

p.s. Today, at brunch with my sister and hubby, I said NO to an acquaintance who asked to join us at our table. Politely and apologetically, of course, but I didn't want to share my sister, and I knew it would be an awkward interval because I didn't know the woman very well in the first place. Both sis and hubbs declared themselves impressed with my firmness, and applauded my action. But my heart hurt a little for the woman who then went and ate alone before going off to her play rehearsal. I think the downside to being a strong woman capable of saying no is having to watch others take rejection.

NaBloPoMo 2015: Day 7 "Work ethic"

#10 Play Hooky from Work

So... I'm not going to go into detail. But this happened!

For the first time in my life.

And it was glorious.

Luxurious, indulgent, harmless...

...aaaaaaand now back to my regularly scheduled work ethic!

Anna

p.s. ...I said YES to a cream-filled fish waffle. #fail #orwasit

NaBloPoMo 2015: Day 6 "Noms"

#20 "Try a new food"

One glorious long weekend ago, Adam and I went to Sokcho, Gwangwon-do province, which is the northeastern-most province in South Korea. It was a terrifying prospect: a 6-hour-long bus ride there and back, but 100% worth it!

It was stunning.

We hiked two days in Seoraksan National Park.

We explored.

We both made the rock move!

Temple views

Legit bouldering at the peak

We made friends.

It was a masssssssive Buddha!

New friend, Erin - we all made it to the top of the 7th highest mountain in Korea!

We ate. And I ate something I've surprisingly never tried before in Korea: gamja jeon, which translates roughly to potato pancake.

I did not capture the moment on camera, because I wasn't expecting to love it so much!

I have tried various types of jeon (savory pancakes, usually full of tentacles and green onion), without being too crazy over them. But potato jeon? That jeon is my jam! And man oh man did it taste good in that fresh mountain air.

As I stuffed my mouth, I exclaimed to Adam, "How have I never tried this before??" and then immediately followed that with "Hey! This is my 'try a new food' from my list!" :D

If you ever get the chance, Seoraksan and gamja jeon both come highly recommended. 10 out of 10 would eat and visit again.

Bellyful,

Anna

p.s. These are belated, because while my sister was here, I said NO to spending time on the computer, and YES to spending quality time with her.

NaBloPoMo 2015: Day 5 "Edumacation"

If you don't already know about Coursera.org, let me just enlighten you: there exists this magical website where anyone can sign up and take university level courses FOR FREE.

It's good quality instruction, and I've turned into a serial course-taker! Unfortunately, because there's no penalty for not finishing, and because it's up to each student to decide their level of participation, I have also turned into a serial course-slacker. I've taken courses on Chinese, entrepreneurship, economics, and more, but I never finished any of them.

So with my handy "30 Before 30" list as motivation, I signed up for 2 new courses in September, determined to see at least one of them thru to the end.

And I did!! I finished both courses. Go meeee!

The first class was very informative and helpful to this business-dumb arts major, and the second was geared too much towards university 20-somethings to be totally appropriate, but it had some good reminders.

I didn't manage to hit all the deadlines within the courses, which resulted in a lower "grade" but I just focused on actually crossing the finish line, and didn't worry at all about grading. That said, I still managed to pull off As in both of them! Overachiever me was very happily surprised.

My grandmother was taking university classes even in her sixties; I definitely want to follow in her footsteps and continue my education for the rest of my life. Happily, I can do that on my own terms, in my own time, for free! There's a limited number of classes available on Coursera, so here's hoping that sites like it will only keep expanding their online options for the future.

We haven't reached the limits of the human brain - maybe there is no limit! It feels socially irresponsible to not strive for more education. And actually, most of this challenge was about educating myself in one way or another - so this particular list item is fairly representative of my 30th birthday goals in general. ^^

Happy studying,

Anna

p.s. MY SISTER IS HEREEEE!! IN GWANGJU!!!

MANY EXCITE.

SUCH HAPPY.

I'm going to cut myself a little slack on "NO" while she's here, just to ensure that she has the best time possible. ^^ But I did say NO to taxis all day, NO to getting a delicious pretzel while shopping downtown and NO to buying anything for myself (couldn't resist a gift for my hubby and bestie, tho...).

NaBloPoMo 2015: Day 4 "Bibliophiliac's Disease"

When I put #15 on my list "Read 30 books" I realized I had a dilemma. What was my starting point for this list? Was I going to count all of 2015? Or since my last birthday? Or start from when I wrote the list? It was unlikely I would be able to read 30 books in the 4.5 months before my birthday, and I'd already read 30 books since my 2014 birthday. So I decided that for all of my list items, I could only count from the beginning of 2015.

I got to my goal of 30 books by June, which was very shortly after creating my "30 Before 30" list. I'm currently at 45 books, and plan to finish 50 before 2016 - but that's another goal for another list. ;)

Here are my 30 books (plus a few I was too lazy to crop out of my screenshot...):

Some were re-reads (here's looking at you Scarlet Pimpernel and Narnia!), some were fluff (confessions of a romance novel indulger), some were high lit (thoroughly enjoying George Eliot these days! I'm halfway thru Middlemarch), some were life-changing (EATING ANIMALS, go read it, then come back and we'll talk), and some were just FUN.

There are so many books in the world, and so little time. Especially when your old favorites call to you like dear friends, wanting to sit down with a cup of tea and reminisce over fond memories. I usually indulge and revisit past favorite books. Then, I try not to think about how I could have been out there making NEW friends with new books - I think there's pleasure in both.

Just like there's pleasure in a night spent at home, reading and moving quietly about the rooms, and there's pleasure in an evening of laughter and singing at the noraebang with gatherings of acquaintances who feel, in that crowded space, like the greatest of friends.

"Don't ever stop reading." -Me

A

P.s. MY SISTER WILL BE IN KOREA IN LESS THAN 1 HOUR!!! EHRMAGEHRD I'M SO EXCITED!!
P.p.s. I said NO to pastries at Paris Baguette, I said NO to ice cream at Baskin Robbins, but when Adam and I had lunch together (such a treat on a workday) we'd already inhaled the honey puff bread before I remembered that we should have said NO. Soooo... Now, I'll just say I have NO regrets. ;)

NaBloPoMo 2015: Day 3 "Such great heights"

I love hiking. For the nature and the friends and the exercise, sure, but I think I like it most for the heights. For the sense of loft, if you will. The higher up I can get, the better - and I mean that in the very literal, physical sense.

So I was thrilled to cross off #3 on my list: Climb the highest mountain in South Korea!

This summer, we took a glorious mini-vacation to Jeju island, the so-called "Hawaii of Korea." Along with my friend Sujeong, we spent three days hiking through some very beautiful countryside. The first two days we hiked on the Olle trails - a set of trails that encircle the whole island. .

Day 1: rainy but beautiful

squid to dry

HILARIOUS...I don't remember what

We completed the entire Olle Trail #1! Stamps to prove it

Made a friend

I off-roaded to snap this poetic shot of the falls in Seogwipo

Day 2: Sunny and clear and hot!

We hiked Olle Trail #7, and it was gorgeous

This hike had the most stunning seaside scenery

my stalwart companions

A trail marker, shaped like a horse!

I couldn't resist - the water was cool and clear!

There was apparently a TV drama filmed in this location, so we made Adam "dress up"

On day 3, we tackled Mt. Halla, the  highest peak in South Korea!

Day 3: it was a stunner!

Up so high

Crater on top of Halla

Big sky, lotsa people

SO TRIUMPH. MANY SWEAT. SUCH HAPPPY.

NAPS

The pole that proves we were at the top of Korea!

Lovely crater at the top

We stayed in hostels, hiked, ate, and slept like rocks. I loved every second. But I especially loved the peaks. :)

Carpe diem,

A

p.s. Today I said NO to taking a taxi home, and I said NO to asking Adam to buy me an indulgent pretzel from Auntie Anne's (nom).