RESOLVED 2015!!!

Thursday, January 1:  Happy New Year!! It’s that time of year again, time to give some thought to the year ahead.  I’m always enthusiastic about turning the calendar to an untarnished new year, and getting a fresh start on what I hope will be the life of my dreams. However, I know it’s a challenge to keep myself disciplined. Accomplishing my New Year’s Resolutions in past years has always been a mixed bag. I achieve some of what I set out to do, and other things I don’t even touch.

“If you have the capacity to be more than one thing, do everything that’s inside of you.” ~ Bishop T. D. Jakes

This is the problem. I want to do everything that’s inside of me. And because of that, I actually never get anything done!

the big dreamer 🙂

I like to think about what I want to accomplish in different areas of my life.  So here are my resolutions for 2015:

1. Health:
   1. Try to walk 3 miles at least 5 days a week.  I was doing this regularly in Virginia, but ever since I arrived in China, my walking habit has fallen by the wayside.
   2. Eat healthier food, especially vegetables. I have had stomach problems almost constantly in China, and I need to remedy that situation as it really ruins my outlook on life when I don’t feel good.
   3. DRINK WATER!  This is something I never think to do.  I’m afraid my body is in a state of constant dehydration.
2. Finances:
   1. After my six-week upcoming holiday, when I’m sure I will spend every little bit I’ve earned on travel, I should attempt save as much as possible to take back home with me in July.
3. Writing:
   1. Send out at least 20 query letters to agents when I return home in July. I finished the third draft of my novel in May of 2014, but I haven’t yet sent out a single query letter.
4. Photography:
   1. Be bold!  Practice using the manual settings on my camera and experiment with photos.
   2. Get a photo editing program and play around with photos.
   3. Take a photography class when I return to the USA in the fall.
   4. Rejoin Vienna Photographic Society when I return to Virginia.
5. Travel:
   1. Travel with Mike up to Yangshuo and Guilin and into Hunan Province, specifically FengHuang and Zhangjiajie, in January. DONE!!

   2. 

      Boats on the Yulong River near Dragon Bridge in Yangshuo

   3. Travel with Alex into Yunnan Province, especially to Lijiang, Shaxi, Dali and the Stone Forest. DONE!  
   4. I’ll fly solo to Myanmar and stay there for about 2-3 weeks during February, visiting Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake, Yangon, and anyplace else we can squeeze in. DONE!
   5. Continue exploring more of Guangxi province during the spring semester, specifically Bama, Mingshi Tianyuan, Zuo River Scenic Area near Chongzuo City, Weizhou Island and Beihei, Sanjiang, Daming Mountain, Longhu Mountain, Huangtao Ancient Town, and Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge.
   6. Go to Hong Kong for a long weekend.
   7. In Nanning, go to the Liangfengjiang National Forest Park, Guangxi Ethnic Relics Center and the Museum of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and the Guangxi Science and Technology Museum.
   8. Return to Ping’An and the Longji Rice Terraces in early summer.
      

      Nine Dragons & Fiver Tigers rice terraces in Ping’An

   9. Visit Bali or Sri Lanka or Malaysia when I leave China, on my way back to Virginia in July.
   10. Go with Mike to Iceland as we intended to do last year but weren’t able to because of his mother’s passing away.
6. Profession:
   1. I still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up.  I teach English abroad as a means to an end: to travel.  After countless futile job applications, I no longer have any hope that I will ever break into the field in which I got my Master’s, International Commerce & Policy, mainly because of the age discrimination that runs rampant in America.  Thus, I may attempt to simply return to Northern Virginia Community College in the fall; after that I might attempt to go to Japan to work for one semester in Spring of 2016.  That’s my thought at this moment, anyway.
7. Language and knowledge goals:
   1. Study Chinese at least 10-15 minutes every day.
   2. Try to learn one new phrase a day.  Make it mine!!
8. Social:
   1. Try to be more proactive about making friends.  I tend to sit by and wait for people to forge friendships with me, but I need to be bolder and braver about making overtures.
   2. Try to invite someone new to do something once each month.
9. Spirituality:
   1. Begin a meditation practice, starting with at least 10 minutes a day.
   2. Read books about Buddhism, pilgrimage, spirituality, along with my other reading.  
10. Reading:
    1. Read 25 books. Here are some books on my reading list for this year:
       1. China Dog by Judy Fong Bates (January 17)
       2. My Last Empress by Da Chen
       3. The Crazed by Ha Jin (March 1)
       4. River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Peter Hessler
       5. Colors of the Mountain by Da Chen
       6. The Good Earth by Pearl Buck
       7. Equal Love by Peter Ho Davies
       8. Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman (January 31)
       9. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
       10. The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
       11. The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty
       12. The House on the Lagoon by Rosario Ferre
       13. The Time it Snowed in Puerto Rico  by Sarah McCoy
       14. When I was Puerto Rican: A Memoir by Esmeralda Santiago
       15. The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau
       16. Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlan
       17. Fresh Air Fiend by Paul Theroux (finish)
       18. Video Night in Kathmandu by Pico Iyer
       19. American Romantic by Ward Just

NOTE TO SELF: You have the day ahead at your disposal. Don’t think in terms too great. Think about only what you can accomplish in a day. 🙂

At first dreams seem impossible, then improbable, then inevitable.

~ Christopher Reeve

 ***********************

Ultimately, my dream is to combine writing and travel somehow, either by planning and offering writing retreats in far-flung parts of the globe, or by going abroad for several months at a time and writing like my life depended on it. Writing retreats would combine my natural teaching ability, my wanderlust, and my writing dreams. However, I feel the first step is to get published, so I can establish some credentials, and some credibility. One step at time….. I would love to hear some of your resolutions for 2015.  Please share! 🙂

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twenty-fourteen

In twenty-fourteen, I: Got waylaid in Denver after snow and de-icing delays on a flight from Washington to Burbank, California.  Shared Sunset Rolls and Fire Dragon Rolls, Sapporo and warm saké, with my little sister Stephanie, and then met The Invisible Woman in LA.  On foggy Venice Beach, wandered past muscle men, tattoo parlors, surfboards and funnel cakes, and contemplated the medical marijuana advertised for sale.  Caught glimpses of adorable houses, with secret patios and lazy cats, on a stroll through the Venice Walk-Streets.  Went window shopping on Abbott Kinney Boulevard.  Drove six hours to San Francisco from LA through a parched California landscape to meet my friend Jayne. Laughed at the antics of harbor seals at Fisherman’s Wharf and met Monarch butterflies that looked like clusters of densely packed brown leaves at the Monarch Grove Sanctuary in Monterey. Drove 17-Mile-Drive at Pebble Beach.  Sampled some wine on the Silverado Trail.  Saw the iconic cloud-shrouded Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco from the deck of the Sausalito Ferry. Laughed at the antics of sea lions at Pier 39.  On the way back to LA, vicariously lived the high life at Hearst Castle in San Simeon.  Dropped by Old Mission Santa Barbara, walked through fan palms and California chaparral at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, and ate fish tacos on Stearns Wharf.  Visited the garden at Mission Buenaventura in Ventura.  Met Rosie of wandering rose and listened to the reverberations of classic rock at Bob’s Big Boy‘s classic car show.  Was inspired by a Poets & Writers LIVE! event in Los Angeles, where I embarrassed myself in front of Chinese writer Da Chen (My Last Empress) when he asked me the for the title of my book and a business card (I had neither).  Had cocktails at the Brig and ate dinner out of a food truck on Abbott Kinney.  Took a hike with Rosie around Corral Canyon in Malibu and ate more fish tacos at Malibu Seafood.  Left behind sunny California to head back to icy Virginia (nomad, interrupted).

Click on any of the pictures below for a full-sized slide show.

Stephanie & her pooch

Steph’s house in Reseda

Steph the artist

Me at Venice Beach

Venice Beach

Venice walk-streets

House on Venice walk-street

Shop on Abbott Kinney

Shop on Abbott Kinney

Shop on Abbott Kinney

The Brig

Classic Car Show at Bob’s Big Boy

Rosie & me at Poets & Writers LIVE!

Malibu Seafood

Monterey, California

On Fisherman’s Wharf

Pebble Beach 17-mile-drive

on the Silverado Trail

Jayne & the Lone Cypress at Pebble Beach

Along 17-mile-drive

Golden Gate Bridge

Golden Gate Bridge

Sailboats and the Golden Gate

San Francisco in fog

The Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco

Sea lions at Pier 39

Hearst Castle

Inside Hearst Castle

On the grounds of Hearst Castle

At Heart Castle

Neptune Pool

At Hearst Castle

Old Mission Santa Barbara

Old Mission Santa Barbara

Succulents at Old Mission Santa Barbara

Succulents

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

No fishing at Stearns Wharf

Mission Buenaventura

at Mission Buenaventura

fountain at Mission Buenaventura

Ventura, CA

Cantina in Ventura

Saw tundra swans and parchment-like leaves dangling like wind-chimes on American beeches at Mason Neck State Park. Was inspired by National Geographic’s 2013 Travelers of the Year.  Saw seagulls walking on water at ice-encased Annapolis Harbor.  Learned 20 things about Storytelling Photography from National Geographic photographers Ami Vitale and Melissa Farlow.  Chased freight trains and photos along the CSX Main Line at Henryton, Maryland.  Suffered through snowstorm after snowstorm in Northern Virginia, and then searched for spring at Green Spring Gardens.  Heard the thundering roar of Great Falls while strolling with Alex, Bailey and Mike along the Patowmack Canal.  Took a photowalk through the hardscrabble part of Baltimore.  Found the gravesite of the patentee of the Ouija Board at Green Mount Cemetery.  Walked Richmond’s Monument Avenue 10k in the rain with my daughter Sarah.  Drifted with cherry blossoms on the Tidal Basin in D.C.  Said “ahoy, matey!” to pirates at the Privateer Festival in Baltimore.  crisscrossed flowing streams & waterfalls at White Oak Canyon.  Stayed overnight at a sleep clinic to test for sleep apnea. Wandered through flowering trees at the Virginia Arboretum.  Was charmed by wisteria at Dumbarton Oaks.  Finally found spring, after a long and grueling winter, at Meadowlark Gardens.  Celebrated Sarah’s 30th birthday in Richmond by sipping wine with the whole family amidst Chihuly’s Red Reeds at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, topped off by a feast at Bacchus.  Cloistered myself at the Franciscan Monastery. Sampled wine and cheese with the family at Doukenie Winery.  Won prizes in photography competitions through Vienna Photographic Society and had my Hot air balloons over Cappadocia photo featured by National Geographic on Instagram.  Finished the third draft of my novel, Scattering Dreams of Stars, but never got around to sending out query letters.  Applied for 40 jobs stateside and didn’t get anything.  Applied for jobs in China and got an offer from Sino-Canadian International College of Guangxi University in Nanning.  Went on safari with sculptures of metal animals in the “American Metal” exhibit at the Corcoran in its last days.  Was awed by the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  Opened my heart to water lilies at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.  Worked on joining hearts with Mike at Eastern Market in D.C. Saw “Words & Letters” made into art at the Athenaeum.  Felt general malaise at a Civil War Encampment at Sully Plantation. (nomad, interrupted).

Mason Neck State Park

American beech leaves

Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis Harbor

Snow

…and ice in Virginia

Chasing freight trains on the CSX main line

Train tunnel at Henryton, MD

orchid at Green Springs Garden

Me with Alex at Great Falls

Great Falls

Hardscrabble Baltimore

Ouija Board patentee gravestone

me with Sarah in Richmond

The Monument Ave 10k

Cherry blossoms on the Tidal Basin

Cherry Blossoms & the Washington Monument

Privateer Festival Baltimore

Privateer Festival Baltimore

Adam at White Oak Canyon

On the grounds of Graves Mountain Lodge

Virginia Arboretum

Virginia Arboretum

Wisteria at Dumbarton Oaks

Tulips at Dumbarton Oaks

Meadowlark Gardens

Peony at Meadowlark

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

Lewis Ginter

Dale Chihuly’s Red Reeds at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Mike, Sarah, Alex and Adam at VMFA

Franciscan Monastery

Franciscan Monastery

At the Franciscan Monastery

Mike, Adam and Alex at Doukenie Winery

Civil War encampment at Sully Plantation

“Words & Letters”

Eastern Market

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Last days at the Corcoran

Searched in vain for a happy 4th of July, as both my mother-in-law and my father were admitted to the hospital; my father’s problem was corrected without complications, but my 88-year-old mother-in-law’s health went into decline and she went into hospice care in early July.  Went with Alex on a road trip to New Hampshire, where we stayed in a cottage on Lake Winnipesaukee, seeking a reprieve from Shirley’s illness and our sadness.  Drove the Kancamagus Highway through New Hampshire’s White Mountains, topped by a hike at the Flume Gorge. Stopped to buy a bird nest ornament in a garden shop in charming Woodstock, Vermont, where I was mistaken for Alex’s girlfriend (ha!). Admired painted “meeses” and mountain lions in Bennington, and scrambled over rocks at Kaaterskill Falls in New York.  Returned home to watch helplessly as my mother-in-law continued to decline; she passed away on July 17.  Went in search of light-crazed sunflowers in memory of Shirley, who loved gardening.  Visited the George Washington Masonic National Memorial as we waited for Shirley’s memorial service, which was on Thursday, July 25.   Took our 12 1/2-year-old border collie, Bailey, to the vet when he got sick the day after Shirley’s memorial service; he died the next day, sadly, at the human age of 88.  Searched for summer, and solace, at Solomons, Maryland, where empty boats conversed in a language of their own, groaning, clanking, lamenting and whining.  Hiked at Calvert Cliffs State Park where a kid told me: “My dad says your name is Stranger.”  Dropped off my passport at the Chinese embassy to get my work visa, and while in D.C., stopped in unannounced at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral for a brief tour in darkness. Came full circle and revisited summer at Meadowlark Gardens, as I did when I first arrived back in Virginia from Oman (nomad, interrupted).

Shirley and Bailey: both left us in July

Richmond on the 4th of July

Albany Covered Bridge along the Kancamagus Highway

Sabbaday Falls

Flume Gorge

Lake Winnipesaukee

Woodstock, VT

Painted moose in Bennington, VT

Painted cougar in Bennington

Kaaterskill Falls in New York

Sunflowers at Mckee-Beshers

Sunflower

Bud of sunflower

view of Old Town Alexandria from the George Washington Masonic National Memorial

George Washington Masonic National Memorial

Solomons, MD

Walk to Calvert Cliffs

St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral

Sampled rum & grapefruit juice with Mike at Mango’s upon our arrival in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Was coated like a sugar cookie by a maelstrom of sand at Ocean Park.  Savored every bite of mofongo — mashed plantains — at Raices in Old San Juan.  Had a close encounter with the Baño Nazi on Paseo de la Princessa.  Took a self-guided walking tour through colorful Old San Juan, admiring views of Bahia de San Juan along the periphery of El Morro.  Came face-to-face with an iguana at Castillo de San Cristobal and together we enjoyed views of the Atlantic.  Climbed into a cloud forest on the Mt. Britton Trail at El Yunque rain forest.  Ate fabulous Caribbean Benedicts at El Convento.  Sought shelter from the rain at Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico.  Visited the “ghost town” of Aguirre in the south of the island.  Was disappointed at Hacienda Buena Vista to see only the historical buildings and not any actual coffee plants.  Got roared at by painted lions at Ponce and took pictures of the historic firehouse and famous landmark, Parque de Bombas.  Looked in vain for 007 (“Bond, James Bond”) and Jodi Foster at the Arecibo Observatory, the setting for Goldeneye & Contact.  Enjoyed a day at the Ocean Park Beach and gorgeous sunset at El Morro before returning home to Washington. Continued to work with Mike on our reconciliation after our seven-year separation and felt good enough about it to go abroad again.  Spent the next two weeks getting ready to move to China.  Left the U.S. on August 30 (notes from north america).

Lupi’s Mexican Grill in Old San Juan

Bahia de San Juan

El Convento ~ THE place for brunch

El Rogativa

Old San Juan’s colorful buildings

Iguana at Castillo de San Cristobal

View from Castillo de San Cristobal of the Atlantic

The Capitol in Old San Juan

Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery

El Yunque rain forest

the “ghost town” of Aguirre

Hacienda Buena Vista

Painted lions in Ponce

Arrived in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on September 1 and was installed in a gritty apartment with a view over a lotus pond.  Spent the first couple of weeks in Nanning getting a phone, internet, a medical exam, and the visa.  Took a walk with another new teacher, Caleb, on Qing Xiu Shan in dreadful heat & humidity, where we saw koi in Sky Pond and a 1350-year-old Cycas King in the Cycad Garden.  Climbed to the top of Longing Tower where we saw views of Nanning and the Yongjiang River.  Encountered communication problems when haggling in a Chinese market.  Experienced the fringes of Typhoon Kalmaegi as it brushed past Nanning. Spent a frustrating day trying to figure out how to buy train tickets to Guilin.  Finally acquired a bicycle after much rigmarole and rode to Nanning Zoo, where I watched Chinese visitors feeding junk food to the animals.  Began fall semester on September 22.  Encountered students with funny English names: Maleah, Kitty, Yuki, Albert, Hebe, Lancy, Shally, Amber, Azura, Nyako, Spring, and best of all: Yoyo, Echo, Coco, Smoothies and Evita.  Heard tell of other teachers’ students: Biscuit, Yogurt and Potato.  Was flummoxed when trying to find simple household products such as shampoo, conditioner and floor cleaner at Nan Bai Supermarket.  Learned how to say Xièxiè (thank you), Ní hǎo (hello), and Wǒ yào yīgè daizi (I want one bag).

Arrival at Guangxi University

The view of the lotus pond out my apartment window

downtown Nanning

Guangxi University main gate

Bronze drum at Qing Xiu Shan

View of Nanning from Qing Xiu Shan

Chinese market

Nanning Zoo

Overcame numerous communication problems and made it to Yangshuo for the National Holiday.  Took a motorized bamboo raft with hundreds of other Chinese tourists down the Li River to Xingping, the scene of the picture on China’s 20 yuan bill.  Strolled around Yangshuo and Green Lotus Hill, where I was surrounded by magical karst formations.  Met Audrey, the niece of an elementary school classmate of mine, at Demo Tiki Bar and then ate Thai food together, accompanied by lots of wine, at Rock-n-Grill.  Bicycled with Audrey through the Yangshuo countryside, where we took an almost-skinny-dip in the Yulong River.  Ate a late lunch at a Passion Fruit Leisure Farm.  Went on a motorbike tour through kumquat orchards to Xianggang Hill, where we saw karst formations with names like Nine Horse Fresco Hill, Lad Worships Goddess, and Grandpa Watching Apple.  Traipsed through the Seven Star Tea Plantation.  Took my own private bamboo boat ride down the Yulong River.  Returned to Nanning, where I began teaching an English Interest Course on Storytelling Photography.  Got hooked on Mad Men and watched all the seasons.  Walked through artistic trellises at the Guangxi Medicinal Plant Garden.  Encountered crazy communication problems on a trip to see Detian Waterfall on the Sino-Vietnamese border.  Straddled the border of China and Vietnam in a bamboo boat and was sprayed by the Ban Gioc-Detian Waterfall on my 59th birthday.  Received a cake for my birthday from the Student Union; I happily shared it with some of my colleagues, cherry tomato toppings and all.

the fast train from Nanning to Guilin

Yangshuo at night

Karst landscape on the Li River

Xingping ~ the scene on the 20 yuan bill

View of karsts from Green Lotus Hill

Chinese woman on our bicycle ride through the Yangshuo countryside

Audrey and her bicycle

Guy loading bamboo boats at Dragon Bridge

View of the Yulong River from Dragon Bridge

Bicycling through Yangshuo

Bicycle path through Yangshuo countryside

Countryside north of Yangshuo

Yangshuo countryside from a motorbike

view of Li River from Xianggong Hill

Li River

view of the Li River from Xianggong Hill

Seven Star Tea Plantation

Seven Star Tea Plantation

Bamboo raft down the Yulong River

Yulong River rafting

Bamboo boats along the Yulong River

Trellis at Guangxi Medicinal Plant Garden

Guangxi Medicinal Plant Garden

Detian Waterfall

Ban Gioc-Detian Waterfall

Detian Waterfall

me with my birthday cake

Went to a student-teacher Halloween party on a sweltering night where everyone was sweating in their costumes.  Visited the Guangxi Museum of Nationalities, where I saw excellent exhibits on Guangxi’s twelve indigenous ethnic groups.  Ventured to Nanning People’s Park where hordes of Chinese people were dancing, singing, and playing traditional instruments. Watched all 8 episodes of True Detective and began to watch Breaking Bad.  Took a trip to Ping’An, where a Zhuang guide led me on a hike to see Nine Dragons and Five Tigers and a Yao long-haired woman.  Posed in traditional costume at Seven Stars with Moon.  Took a 5-hour hike alone to the Longji Rice Terraces, where I got lost numerous times.  Spent an afternoon of disillusionment at Elephant Hill Park in Guilin.  Treated myself to a whole body massage, a foot massage and pedicure in Guilin to try to alleviate my four days of sickness while traveling.

Guangxi Museum of Nationalities

Rongshi Miao ~ “Mang Hao” dance (the mask dance)

Nanning People’s Park

Rice terraces at Ping’An

Nine Dragons & Five Tigers

Yao long-haired woman

me in traditional costume

Seven Stars with Moon

Longji Rice Terraces

Longji Rice Terraces

Longji Village

Farmland outside of Longji Village

Me at the Longji Rice Terraces

Elephant Hill Park in Guilin

Chinese massage place in Guilin

Encountered a styrofoam lady on the way to Wal-Mart.  Watched a Chinese love story with English subtitles, Fleet of Time, that shed some light on the lives of my college students. Watched all 10 episodes of Fargo.  Survived another challenging Chinese bus ride to Yangmei Ancient Village. Spent Christmas day alone wandering downtown Nanning, sipping a Toffee Nut Latte at Starbucks, watching The Taking of Tiger Mountain at Wanda Cinema, and finally Skyping with my family in Virginia.  Went to a Christmas party arranged by my students, where I attempted to make proper dumplings, played and won a REAL game of Chinese checkers, and sang karaoke.  Went to a free acrobatics show in Nanning.

the Styrofoam lady

Fleet of Time

Yangmei Ancient Village

Christmas in downtown Nanning

My poor attempts at dumpling-making

me in front of the poster for the acrobatics show in Nanning

Happy New Year!  May all your dreams come true in twenty-fifteen. 🙂

Related posts:
twenty-thirteen
weekly photo challenge: my 2012 in pictures