Since 2008, I have digitally kept track of the number of books I’ve read annually (with the exception of 2012 and 2013 — not sure what happened those two years). From a quick glance of my “completed books” lists from the past decade, I can deduce the following about my reading habits:
Hello 2020 — as everyone has continued to emphasize, it’s not only the start of another New Year, but also a new decade.
2019 was a series of challenges and important lessons learned, both professionally and personally. Only in the final weeks of the year did I realize that I have had this website and blog for over ten years (launched this website in early 2009).
Last month, I had the opportunity to take a ten-day trip to Taiwan and Hong Kong with my parents and brother. Prior to this trip, I hadn’t traveled abroad in the last decade, especially with the ebbs and flows of my career (and my personal finances). This particular trip was well-timed, since it was right after the Christmas holidays, so I could still stay with my family until we departed overseas. This was also a moment where I saw the huge benefit of working for myself/freelancing: I could work from anywhere in the world (of course, I also see the downside of this–I can work from anywhere, and I must keep working at least part-time to make sure I’m able to pay bills!).
Here are a few highlights from the trip:
During these past six months, I have rededicated myself to investing in my overall health and fitness: I have a monthly membership to a fitness center and have my own personal trainer, who trains me hard twice a week (hi, Brittany!). When it comes to my health and fitness, these days I am not merely working out for aesthetics: I also know that this time around, I am in it for the long haul, and that this is a lifestyle, not a hobby.
So, what better way to test my endurance than to hike a 14er (if you had asked me this time last year about hiking a 14er, I would have promptly said, “No thank you!”). This is exactly what I did over this past weekend with Ryan.
For those who aren’t familiar with the term “14er”, the term refers to mountain peaks that are 14,000 feet and higher, and Colorado boasts over fifty of them alone. These mountains vary in difficulty in terms of elevation, length of hike, and terrain.
It was only last Thursday (July 5th) when Ryan and I decided to hike Mount Bierstadt, which sits at 14,060 feet and is considered a Class 2 mountain. Before this, we had only driven up Pikes Peak and Mount Evans, so Mount Bierstadt was going to be the first 14er for us to hike. I admit, I was a little nervous about hiking it, even though as Ryan researched about the mountain, he said that overall, other hikers seemed to think that the mountain was an ‘easy hike’. I read over a blog post by Laura Skladzinski at 50by25 about her experience with Mount Bierstadt, and the post helped me prepare mentally for the challenging parts of the climb.
The whole hike up and down Mount Bierstadt took us about 9.5 hours round-trip, for a total of 6.9 miles and 2,729 feet in elevation gain (we already started at about 11,000 feet at the trailhead). The trail is very popular among people of all fitness levels, including families–although I am not sure how many of these families made it to the summit. Needless to say, the whole hike exhausted us out, but we made it to the top with relatively no altitude sickness symptoms. Hoorah!
Anyhow, we did take away some lessons from the whole experience, which will be handy for those of you who are curious to try out a 14er in the future.
Having a birthday shortly after the start of the year has always been interesting for me: add in Chinese New Year usually occurring around this time of the year, and every year, I have three opportunities to welcome in “a new year”.
This first month of 2018 has been a slow start to get back into a regular routine, yet also allowed me more margin to think about what’s most important in my life. I have been uncovering more of my purpose, and noticing the little (yet very valuable) treasures throughout each day of my life. I am abundantly blessed with beautiful friendships in all areas of my life, and I appreciate them all.
I have also been putting a big focus on my health and fitness, and just today I signed up for three months of personal training at my new gym downtown. It is definitely a worthwhile investment for my overall health, although it’s also a stretch for my budget at the moment.
As the saying goes: we have to get uncomfortable to grow.
Cheers to another birthday: another opportunity to celebrate and love on others more.