Sharing This Past Year...

Hi all! I am sharing five life events from the past 12 months-it's been a crazy year! I hope to get back to posting more in the future, of course about beauty routines & products!, but also about moving cities, graduate school tips, and kidney donation! If you are going through any of these events too, let's chat! Leave a comment or send me a DM :)

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Hello 2018!

We are a couple of weeks into the new year, and I am still thinking of my intentions. I am not necessarily of the "new year, new you" mentality, but I am all for self-reflection. Here are a few things I have been thinking about for 2018. I'm sure some new goals will get thrown in the mix and shared here in the weeks to come. Let me know your goals for 2018 in the comments!

Read

My goal for the past few years has been to read at least a book a month, so about 12 books a year. This past autumn, I have kicked my book love into overdrive and doubled my goal with 28 books read this year. Now, I'm going to strive for 36 books. We'll see if I can do it! 

Travel

In 2017, we took an amazing trip to South Africa. This year, I want to keep up our international travel as well as add a few stateside trips in as well. Currently thinking about a California road trip and another Asian adventure. I would also love to go on an Alaskan cruise.

Friends

One of the most difficult things in adulthood is making and maintaining friendships. You just don't have those built in places to connect and packed calendars further complicate things. I also admit that I am a terrible texter. I've come to terms that that probably won't change, but dear friends, I have a hoard of stationery and a love for brunch-let's hang out.  

Home

They may call it spring cleaning, but I think a lot of people agree that the new year brings a desire to reorganize and declutter. Embracing the less is more attitude, I need to give Marie Kondo a re-read and make a plan of attack on this apartment. I keep daydreaming about building a tiny house or renovating an Airstream, so even though I have a small apartment, I could simplify even more!

Mental

One of my goals this year is to sort out a grown-up version of a bedtime routine. I would love to have a relaxing ritual to end the day. Journaling, meditation, a little beauty self-care are all on offer. 

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Is the Blog Back?

No. At least, I can't make any promises. All I can say is I'm trying. I never started this to make a business or even for anyone to read. Not diminishing the full time bloggers out there. I just love my day job-it's my calling. Everyone should get to follow their passions. But even if my main focus wasn't this here piece of the internet, it was a meaningful project. I enjoyed spending hours (what ends up being many hours-as above, blogging is workkk) thinking of ideas, taking pictures, and fleshing out some semblance of a story-musings of something in my life.

Until I didn't. I'd think of an idea. I'd take the pictures. I'd even upload them, edit them. But I just stared at the blank electronic page. Unsure of what to say. Unsure of my voice. Did I have anything to say? Did it matter? My finally putting fingers to keys is not a statement of banished doubts. I could immediately get stuck back in that mindset tomorrow and never post again.

My time away from this forum also doesn't represent how I felt in other aspects of my life. Of course, there are days when I don't want to get out of bed or nights when I am restless, anxious, skin crawling and unproductive. But for the most part, I've been enjoying those things I love. But keeping the posts to a snap on Instagram. And maybe an emoji for a caption. It's hard to find the words sometimes, exhausting to find the words sometimes-so I just needed the pretty pictures.

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FItness Update 2017

It's been awhile since I've posted about fitness. Of course, every year-month-day, I tell myself that I want to make changes in my lifestyle, but it never seems to stick. I basically kept to my favourite yoga class once a week and having a few of staple healthy meals in rotation. Recently though, I started to post again on my fitness Instagram, @evladyfit. The resurgence started with posting daily pics from the #stretchrevolution challenge from Blogilates.

Around the same time, my yoga studio started a yoga challenge, #30daysoftangerine. Today is day 10, and I've gone every day (so far)! Before signing up, I really didn't think I could do it-I even set my goal at 20 classes. Now, I'm not sure if I can stop! It's really helped my sleep schedule. I have to make sure to wake up early for 6:30 am classes before work! Plus, daily exercise gets my body tired, so I don't have that tired but wired feeling at the end of the day. My posture has improved, and just a couple of days ago, I was able to do my first full wheel! It also forces me to dedicate a solid hour of just me time, which is so important for promoting mindfulness, setting intentions, and reducing anxiety.

I think the key is to find what works for you and that you genuinely enjoy. I am a planner, so I love setting up my classes for the week. And with it set, I think of it more like a meeting, so I can't miss it! That's the structure piece, and I just love the content of the classes-how they make me feel in my mind and body-before, during, and after hitting the mat. I feel like you have to try different methods, studios, even instructors can change how much you enjoy a class before finding your thang. Maybe you find you are someone that likes to mix up your exercise methods. Every once in awhile, I have been bouldering at Preston's climbing gym and sometimes he comes with me to yoga. Gotta keep it fun & interesting!

You also can't be too hard on yourself. Things change. We will be out of town this weekend, so I won't get my "gold star" for the days (literally), but hey, I'll be back Monday to start again. Same goes for month(s) long and year(s) long breaks too. I feel like you pick up little habits, tips, and tricks with you every time you start something new. Like, maybe you didn't stick with that meal prepping, but you found an easy healthy snack or a dinner recipe you love. Or what I am predicting will happen after this challenge-I won't be doing everyday yoga, but I now know my body can wake up early, and I enjoy it, so maybe I'll start doing a morning class before work in addition to the weekend.

In some ways, the start of spring seems more like the time for resolutions than the new year. Are you trying to up your fitness game before summer?

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Where Have I Been...

Hello! Long time, no post! It has been a crazy past few months. I don't really even know where to begin...just a lot of work and traveling. I think I was in my apartment for 5 days total in December! I am hoping now I can give my attention back to this little blog. I think I'll start with a few travel pictures to catch you up on my adventures and maybe a Birchbox unboxing to ease myself back in the beauty blogger routine. I hope you've had an amazing start to 2017!

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Photo Diary | Beitou, Taiwan

We left Hualien in the morning and made it back to Taipei by the afternoon. That day was reserved for meeting up with my Taiwanese friends. I met them through a summer foreign exchange program when I was in high school. It was amazing to be able to see them again after so many years and so many miles apart. We spent the day doing as the locals do-eating cake at secret cafes, walking around Treasure Hill, eating some more delicious food, and chatting at a cat bar. Yup, it's a thing. I didn't take too many pictures that day as we were catching up. For our last full day in Taiwan, we went to Beitou, famous for its hot springs.

We were able to see the source of the green springs. Definitely not where you jump it, if you couldn't tell by the steam. Nearby resorts and hotels pipe the water, reducing the temperature.

We went to an outdoor public spring. The water was too hot for us to stay in long, but we enjoyed people watching. We even bought a couple of popsicles, reminiscent of days spent at community pools or water parks.

We then headed in the direction of the Taipei Zoo to ride the gondola up to Maokong. We rode in a crystal bottomed one first to see the green a couple hundred meters below our feet.

Maokong is another area known for tea. Though, not much is grown there currently. There are tea houses and restaurants with great views of the city.

We ended up getting a green tea ice cream cone and taking pictures of interesting caterpillars. I spent hours googling to discover their species to no avail.

We ended the night with another night market and felt bittersweet that our trip was ending. The next day, we had a last brunch with my friend who took us to another great local spot for bagel egg sandwiches, an ode to the typical New York breakfast.

More from Taiwan

Taipei

Jiufen 

Alishan

Taroko Gorge

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Photo Diary | Alishan, Taiwan

We took a break from the city to explore the mountains. After a train ride down the west coast, we rented a scooter in Chiayi. Preston made sure to get his International Driver's Permit before we left the U.S., and it was the best decision. It was an amazing way to travel through Alishan. We were able to see and feel the distance, much more so than if we took a bus or car. It is very dangerous, the mountain roads were tiny, no lanes, and evidence of landslides surrounded us. Little blue trucks and cement mixers would zip around the winding turns.

The distance you could see was unbelievable. The mountains were surrounding you. The air kept getting cooler and thinner. The hillsides scattered with tea farms and bamboo forests. We stayed in a tiny town called Rueili. We made it to Plum Blossom Villa in time for a golden hour hike.

The trail led us to a bat cave, swallow cliffs, and a suspension bridge named for lovers. And of course, it was comprised of what felt like a million stairs.

We loved having this view every night and morning. We would see swallows flying past and sitting on the telephone wire.

That night our host, Scott, took us to see the fireflies. It was the most amazing thing I have seen in my entire life. I wasn't able to capture it in pictures (These are a couple from Scott. He had the camera set-up for these types of shots down). Though it still doesn't compare to standing in the middle of it all.  It was like being surrounded by thousands of Christmas lights. Even more spectacular that it was created by nature. We even came across tiny little phosphorescent mushrooms. They could have easily been overlooked as a firefly unless you noticed the glow wasn't flashing on and off.

The next morning we took the scooter to the Alishan park, passing through farms, small towns, and a stretch of congested tour bus filled highway.

We were just past cherry blossom seasons, but a few trees remained.

The red cypress trees were magnificent. It was interesting to learn the history of the cypresses and how many were chopped down when Japan colonized to make tea tables. To be planted in their place-cherry blossoms.

We walked the trail between the two railway lines. The train was adorable. This is the caboose.

Before we left, we mailed post cards from the Alishan post office.

We ended the day with a Taiwanese beer and a trip to the next door neighbor's tea farm. We were able to smell the fresh tea leaves and see the machines that dry and roll the infamous Alishan oolong.

We didn't want to leave! Scott and his family were so nice, including shaved sheepdog, Xiong Xiong. We were eating delicious food every night, including vegetables we had never even heard of before. It was an unforgettable experience.

More from Taiwan

Taipei

Jiufen

Alishan

Taroko Gorge

Beitou

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