Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Still so darn happy!

Ok I have been a very lazy blogger... mea culpa all over the place! :)

I have been very leisurely lately (still).
Last week I was especially lazy and did as minimal as possible (except for working out).
I blew off volunteering at the Center (bad Sue) and skipped my first yoga class! VERY BAD SUE. I have to say my biggest flaw is my laziness. I am a Lazy Leo. 'tis true.
But, I DID volunteer at Anju's school - 3 days last week...and tomorrow I WILL volunteer at the Center. I will be a responsible adult for a change!

I am VERY VERY VERY excited because my (new) dear, sweet, wonderful friend Hilary has given me all kinds of juicy job leads. I really want to teach pre-school kids (mostly for the hours, but I realize know that I just adore 2-5 year olds). GREAT NEWS is: I have an interview on Monday (that I actually arranged just by calling one of Hilary's friends). The director told me that she has an immediate opening - "would you be interested? It's only a few hours a week - teaching reading to elementary school kids." YES of course I am interested. Also, she said there will be pre-school teacher openings for the summer, and she is also looking for 3 teachers to start in the fall! Excellent!! I can ease my way in with the reading positiion (HOPEFULLY!). I feel really good about it. I LOVE doing music with kids and I have a music therapy kit and cd - I can print out visuals from a cd that I have. (Even though it's really for special needs kids - I can use it for low level English learners).

I have a few others, but I won't bore you with the details unless they pan out!
Anyway, I am loving that I am finally being a networking mama! It's FUN and as I said in my last post, I am meeting some REALLY sweet ladies. 'sall GOOD!


Ok the BAD news is, my darling daughter has injured herself again...she sprained her ankle really badly. It STINKS because she can't dance or play soccer for a month (we took her to an orthopedic doctor and these are his orders). I have been pushing her around in a freaking wheel chair. URGH. I feel badly but this is the second injury (same leg) within 2 months. I DO feel responsible because I suggested that she do some running long jumps on this dirt pathway in the middle of this track at a nearby park. DUH you are supposed to land in SAND! Hello Sue! So she fell (while I was jogging around the track) and could barely walk the next day. I am a stupido sometimes. Truly. :(


More good news: my face took a HUGE turn for the better. It looks nearly normal (except when I smile -still) It's weird because I didn't get any acupuncture for almost 2 weeks - and the dramatic improvement occurred after my first treatment after that hiatus. I have to talk to my doc about that.


I will post my "walk to the doc's" next. I still have to get a picture of my doctor. I am shy about asking him! He's always busy too. I am such a dorky blogger. :)


Take care everyone!

Love,
Suexxxxx


Oh!
I meant to ADD that I am ESPECIALLY bummed about Anjoli's ankle because I am DYING to go hiking in this beautiful town called Wulai. There are waterfalls, hot springs and MONKEYS jumping around the trees there! It's not that far from us, we could even take the MRT and a bus (but we most likely will drive). We'll just have to wait a month or so to go.

Here is an excellent little article from the China Post on Wulai:



A return to bliss in Wulai

Thursday, December 13, 2007
by Greg McCann Special to The China Post

"I really want to see wild monkeys before I leave Taiwan," my friend Frank said as we ventured onto Wulai's Red River Gorge Trail. "They're called macaques, right? I've got to see them. It's a must."

That was back in October, just two days after he and three other first-time visitors arrived from the United States. Despite the rain back on that day, the water in the swimming hole still felt great for swimming. The precipitation had the unexpected bonus of make the tree-choked valley look even more atmospheric than it usually does. "Like something straight out of 'Apocalypse Now,'" fellow hiker Baxley remarked.

This past Sunday looked like it might be one of the best days of the year for a hike, and the five us made plans to return to Wulai﹝烏來﹞. We waited around for over an hour for Frank to show up at the MRT station and finally left without him.

There is no question that Sunday, Dec. 2 was one of the best days of 2007 for hiking. We hiked to our swimming hole, and I cannon-balled into the crystal blue first. I nearly went into shock from a temperature that must have been below freezing. Cold pools in Taipei saunas were mild compared to this mountain river. I actually had a hard time breathing and quickly scrambled out of the water.

After swimming around for a while, we basked in the sun on several large boulders that crown the pool. We must have spent close to an hour relaxing on the warm stones when the tree branches on the other side of the river began shaking. Baxley stood up and stared into the tree and, sure enough, about 50 meters up in the jungle mountainside, a troupe of Taiwan Rock Monkeys were making their way down to lower elevation.

We stood in awe for about 20 minutes as we watched them playing on the tree branches, dropping down from branch to branch and nearly plunge to their deaths on several occasions.

There are only two places in Taiwan that I know of where one can almost always see wild monkeys: Kaohsiung's Chai Mountain and Taitung's Chihpen Forest Park. I have to say that while I suspected for a long time that macaques roamed Wulai's mountains, I never really expected to see them here.

Once the monkeys disappeared, we decided to try hiking up one of the tributary streams for a bit, but, the water being so incredibly cold, we didn't make it far. Just as we were about to turn around, a flock of eight to 10 Formosan Blue Magpies made a dash from one side of the valley to the other.

Much prettier than their Chinese cousins, the sight of those regal Formosan magpies shooting straight across the valley like arrows was spellbinding. What with the frog, the monkeys and the birds (we also espied a couple of Steere's liocichla) I began to wonder if we hadn't somehow slipped into another dimension and went on a hike through Borneo.

We were then spotted by a couple having a barbecue in the underbrush. We would have never seen them on our own. They invited us to cross the stream and share some river shrimp and beers with them, but we didn't want to get wet again. One of them urged us to go on tracing the stream further into the mountains, claiming that near the source of the creek lived an "un-contacted aborigine tribe" that we would want to photograph. We passed up the questionable photo-op and decided to hike up a trail that meets a higher, clearer path and trekked along, with incredible views of the mountains all around. Several lone men passed us in this section, each carrying machetes and rucksacks of cut plants.

Finally, we hiked back out and had a wonderful dinner of golden needle mushroom soup, fresh vegetable fried rice and Taiwan beer at the Shan-Ye restaurant across from the Cheng-kung bus stop on the main road to Wulai.

8 comments:

ginab said...

nice, the word of mouth. has never happened for me.

I am so sorry for Anjoli's ankle. a month in child's time is AGES. If she flings the wheel chair at some point it could be an inkling of those years between to come.

wee ones are precious. I see'em at the Y aplenty. Helped one tie her shoe (last year). Very reliant and trusting and open-hearted. perfect!

-ginab+bb

lryicsgrl said...

Yeah, Sue!
A job for you is good news!
Lucky kids to have you.

Poor Anjoli, hope she heals soon. How long will she be in a chair? Hey, look at it this way, it's a good arm work out for you...uggh, not funny, I know.

We are Lazy Susans you know.
Didn't your Mom ever sing that to you?

"Lazy Susan will you get up
will you get up, will you get up
Lazy Susan will you get up, will you
get up in the morning"....swear this is in my brain as a constant reminder, that I am a...ta da......LZYGRL!!

love ya, swho
xo
sue

PDBT said...

SWHO:
Glad you are having juicy job leads, you should totally teach English (as soon as you get it donw yourself, lol!)
sorry about Anjoli's ankle

I amswered you on my blog
I loved your weird collections answer and I am still laughing 'bout that, you got me good!

My Mom says you are very sweet and THANKs for the gorgeous post card!!!

TTYL
-Lin

Laura said...

I was going to shake my finger at you for being lazy... but that would be be the pot calling the kettle black. Working from home is so hard! Somedays I'm all business, otherdays I'm all about surfing music blogs. Meh. Bipolar much? I did have a juicy job interview so fingers crossed.

Instead I'll demand you check out the Club 8 show, and file a "roving would-be hipster" report. That is if they ever confirm the venue! They are my new auditory crack, so if I can't see them you should.

Really that's all. Alright, nose back to the grindstone. I do believe I owe you another story by the end of the month. Eeep!

Suesjoy said...

Hi Gina-
Oh I shouldn't count those chickies though. I ALWAYS DO then I get bummed out, of course.
I do love those wee ones!

Oh Sue B. (honey! get it?ok you must get that alot!). So you really ARE a lzygrl TOO! I think we may have been non-identical twins separated at birth!!
Thanks Suzie.

LIN!
Aw that was a cheap shot about my ANGLAIS! Tryin' to get revenge, ay?
Ok - I deserve it! Glad you liked the postcard! I really hope to meet your mama one day. Hope she is doing well.

Laura dahling-
Ok I need to catch up on your stories!
So I did confess about being a LAZY SUSAN...bad girl.

OOh thanks for reminding me about Club 8. I need to find an amah (babysitter type) for Anjoli. She will not be amused but OH WELL. Sujoy and I never ever go out on dates anymore...that can't be good for a marriage! :(
It's VERY hard working at home, I know. I worked a bit from home. I could never relax because I always felt I should be working...it was part time work when I was an editor for the Gerson Institute's newsletter. To much pressure, having to think of new topics to write about! I enjoyed it while I was pregnant, but once Anjoli came I just wanted to focus on her only.
Thanks for visiting gals!
xxxxxxxx

grace said...

Hi Sue!
Alright, more happy posts!! Sorry about Anjoli's injury.
I am pleased to hear life is treating you so well, and you are feeling physically great.

xox

grace said...

I love all the comments on my current post about Pete. I was at the La Jolla show, 2nd row. Were you there the 1st or 2nd night?

grace said...

Sue, I was there the 1st night. I paid 1000.00 to go backstage to meet Pete. It was, I have to say, a very surreal experience, it still feels like a dream. I thought of all these fantastic things to say, and when I was infront of him, I became speechless. geez,what a dork.
I know Amanda was there only from reading blogs here. Wow, we were all there, Dave too, what a small world. Wonder who else?

Not to put a downer on it, but that weekend was very strange too. My Mom was on her last few weeks of life, with cancer. And I remember asking her, Mom, I have ticket to see and meet Pete Townshend. And of course she knew who he was. What are your thoughts on me leaving for 3 days and going? She was in Georgia. She said it was alright, go and enjoy. It was a thrill of a lifetime and a nervous one too, whether Mom would still be here when I returned. She was, and when I told her I had him autograph my chest, she said, "you let someone you don't know do that? " lol Still brings a smile to my face. Oh Mom, so old fashioned. :)