A day in the life of ...: November 2020

Sunday November 22nd, 2020 (cont'd)

At the Yueshanhu Cliffs (月扇湖大岩壁) in Shiding (石碇區)

An old farmhouse along the trails

A gorgeous day with some lovely views: our lunch spot

Sunday November 22nd, 2020

At the Yueshanhu Cliffs (月扇湖大岩壁) in Shiding (石碇區)

Some charcoals ovens from the mining days

Lovely off the beaten path trails

2020 Goal: One book per month ...

Cruising through dry November has been much easier than anticipated. The glass is almost full! Last Sunday, a group of us went for a delicious thanksgiving dinner at one of the western restaurants in Taipei and the majority of the table neglected to drink. I thought I would crave alcohol or miss it but I don't. Huh! That being said, I am looking forward to a somewhat wet December where plenty of festivities are planned!

In April, I started reading A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. I was not inspired and found myself struggling to get through the first 200 pages. Also, the new semester was in full swing and things got rapidly busy.

As the end of the April was approaching, I realized I was nowhere near finishing the 600+ page book nor was I interested in continuing. I had nothing else to read so I picked up Blubber by Judy Blume.

I have a very old Judy Blume set with Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, which is probably my favorite childhood book and one I've read a gazillion times, Otherwise Known as Shelia the Great, Then Again, Maybe I Won't and Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret. Blubber was an easy read and a story I've maybe only read once. In looking at this list, I don't think I've ever read Then Again, Maybe I Won't. I will have to add that to my 2021 list!

In May, I discovered Harlan Coben. I learned about him when Netflix was advertising a mini-series called The Stranger. The story looked interesting and I thought it may be fun to read the book first as I was struggling to find something to read.

I ordered The Stranger from Book Depository and burned through it. It was hard to put the book down. About halfway through the story, I started looking at other Harlan Coben titles. He has written a ton of stuff and it was hard to choose what to read next. I ordered Missing You to read in June. It was also a very enjoyable read!

I liked The Stranger so much that I attempted to watch the mini-series on Netflix but couldn't make it through the first episode. I tried more than once but ended up giving up. Part way into May and the story, Missing You, I had another Harlan Coben title on the way to my house, but I'll save that story for the next post!

Tuesday November 17th, 2020

At the Pingding Ancient Canal Trail (坪頂古圳步道)

Saturday November 14th, 2020 (cont'd)

Hiking at White Rock Mountain (白石山) in Daxi, Taoyuan (大溪,桃園)

Ended the hike at the CKS Statue Park

Saturday November 14th, 2020

A gorgeous 10KM hike at White Rock Mountain (白石山) in Daxi, Taoyuan (大溪, 桃園)

At the CKS Statue Park

2020 Goal: One book per month ...

Reading on the Loboc River in Bohol, The Philippines

At the start of 2020, I decided it was time to pick up reading again. I started with a book recommended by my cousin called Wild by Cheryl Strayed. It was a great read that was interesting, inspiring and relatable.

I started the book at some point in January and finished it on the 31st while vacationing in the Philippines.

Reading at a different location along the Loboc River

February's book was The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I read this story decades ago when I first moved to Vancouver, BC. I remember it being a refreshing story and knowing I'd be on vacation for the start of February, the book seemed fitting.

I cruised through the story and enjoyed it even more the second time around. I finished the book while waiting for my delayed flights out of Bohol and out of Manila. Not even two weeks into the month of February and my second book was finished!

I was heading home to a forced and unpaid two-week holiday (the new semester start date had been pushed back for all schools nationwide) due to Covid-19. The Taiwan government knew most people were returning home from the Chinese New Year holiday and it was their way of having a quarantine period without locking down. I had no idea how Coronavirus was going to change the world at this time.

Waiting in line to buy masks

I started the book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. It was an appropriate read for what was going on in Taiwan and around the world.

Masks were nowhere to be found in Taiwan in mid-February so Taiwan quickly set up a mask rationing program making them available to everyone.

A mask-purchasing app was made stating which pharmacies had masks, how many they had and what time they would be selling them at. This resulted in many lineups around the city with people watching dwindling numbers on their phones as masks were being purchased in real time. Those standing near the backs of lines always looked more nervous. No one wanted to wait in line for an hour only to be told there were no masks left.

I spent some time familiarizing myself with the app and understanding the charts so I knew what pharmacies were best to go to. This became part of my weekly routine for a month or two and waiting in line seemed like a good time to get some reading done!

Around April, Taiwan had produced enough masks to change the program which then allowed one person to buy nine masks every fourteen days with their health card. The line ups ended which meant finding time in my regular schedule to fit in reading started. It proved a tad challenging in April but I'll save that for the next blog post.

Sunday November 1st, 2020 (cont'd)

The Elephant Trunk Tunnel (象鼻隧道) in Hualien (花蓮)

The day involved a lot of scrambling up and down boulders and rope climbing

The weather was perfect but there was zero escape from the hot sun

The final climb before reaching the old coastal road

Sunday November 1st, 2020

At the Elephant Trunk Tunnel (象鼻隧道) in Hualien (花蓮)

The start of the adventure ... we rappelled down here with ropes and harnesses

It really does look like an elephant!

Exploring further along the old coastal road

Dry November ...

It's hard to believe it's November already. The year has flown by and it's been a fun one. While Taiwan has watched the rest of the world deal with lockdowns and closures, life has continued on with some form of normalcy.

It's been an interesting year, indeed. For myself and for the world. I am grateful I managed to sneak in an adventurous vacation in the Philippines before the whole Co-vid thing started. It may be some time before I am allowed to leave this lovely little island that I call home. Quarantines seem like they are here to stay.

Being stuck in Taiwan this summer allowed me to pick up some extra work (mostly for the a/c) and a new hobby — river tracing. I am kicking myself for not having picked it up years ago. It combines everything I like: climbing, hiking and swimming! It is wicked fun!

As we move closer to 2021, I fear I'll be stuck in Taiwan again next year. I suppose it won't hurt my feelings too much! Of course, I'll be sad not to see my family but I have a list of rivers I'd love to explore and having a month off in summer to do that would be amazing!

Anyway, I am getting off track of what this post was supposed to be about which is goals. Setting goals and getting them done! I have to admit, I've been fairly successful this year. The biggest goal has been doing more reading. I promised myself one book a month and I am currently halfway through book #11. Right on track!

I also decided to knock off the top three places on my 'to see' list this summer since leaving Taiwan wasn't an option. The place that was on the very top of the list held that spot for almost ten years! Pushing the delete key and watching it disappear was delightful!

My newest venture, which may be challenging as we near the end of the month and the American thanksgiving, is dry November. I had originally planned to do dry February but was on vacation in the Philippines at the time, so there was no way that was happening! I did attempt it at one or two other points throughout 2020 but never really made it more than a few days. Oops! It will be interesting to see if I am successful this month. So far so good but I'm only four days in.

As a motivation tool, I made myself a glass that I am going to fill up as I go. I'm already thirsty just looking at it. ♥︎