This picture is very similar to the one at the top of this blog, the main difference being that this one is taken a lot later in the day. I heard the sunsets here were quite good and so I biked the 15 minutes from home one clear afternoon to wait for and see this. I hope these views can help me relax a little more.The weather has been fairly cold, despite quite a lot of sunshine around the middle of the day. I have not been doing a lot of swimming. It is not that swimming in 65F water is all that bad, but I tend to feel fairly weakish for several hours after the swim and if I am not careful I catch colds more easily. It is not that much fun swimming at the moment. I guess I just want the winter to be quickly over. I am used to Hawaii weather. In Kona the water never seems to go below about 72F during the coldest times in the year and that makes a big difference.
With the colder weather, being busy and frequently feeling tired, I have often found myself in danger of falling asleep on the job. No kidding, working in surroundings like this is far better than in an office (except when I need my computer). What I make is based on my productivity, which is based on my ability to think, and has nothing to do with clocking in or trying to look like a professional or pretending I'm working. I am either working or not working.I have been very busy working these days, a good thing in some ways since the economic recession is deepening worldwide. For me it is "Make hay while the sun shines." One never knows what may be around the corner. While we are fairly comfortable here in Taiwan, this is the year when our children will "move on" whether to college or just to try out life in a foreign country.
To readers, this might look just like a pair of jogging shoes and that's true. However, this is the first time I have ever found a pair of size 13 trainers in at least the last 7 years in Taiwan. These New Balance 373's may not be top of the line, but getting them for US$43 equivalent is not bad considering I find it so hard to find shoes my size. My feet are not particularly big, either. The shoes are very comfortable (including riding the MTB) and being new look very smart. I will wear them to attend a wedding of a couple of friends next week.
The Freeway is something I have to cross every morning I bike to the outdoor swimming pool. It is a constant reminder that I still live in a big city. However, I am glad I only have to ride a bicycle. The Freeway access road is very close (maybe a little too close) to our house. At least one day when we have a car we will be able to get out of town fast.The Chinese see investing in the children's education as being very important, and so we may well be investing in them both for many years to come. This is certainly a different approach from what I experienced growing up, and while I eventually ended up doing what I wanted to do, I felt very restricted in terms of the choices I had when I was in my early to mid-20s. While of course I learned a lot of lessons in humility, etc., I feel that I also missed a lot of opportunities. Time goes very fast and a lot of those opportunities never come again.
Jocelyn had her birthday recently, and so we went out to celebrate it with a meal which included making your own cotton candy. A memorable occasion!
Morrison (left) and James (right) learned how to make pretty large cotton candy for themselves. I'm thinking of a swim tomorrow morning, but it will be cold!
1 comment:
Yes, I can certainly see how living in Hawaii would have spoiled you. It spoils me for just the few weeks I'm am there!
But it sounds like you're very busy with work so perhaps this is the time to focus on that. Glad you found some shoes that fit. Size 13 sounds pretty big to me, actually. No wonder you swim so well :-)
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