Finding my Inner Peace and Calm

Due to personal reasons, I made a VERY spontaneous decision last Wednesday...to take Yoga lessons.

Actually it's not all that spontaneous, I've been wanting to do this since I was in High School, but in high school my dad never let me because I had a tendency to take something and quit right away (except for singing) plus I am one of those people who want to do EVERYTHING!

This decision came upon me after some stress issues that I've been experiencing. It's just a decision that I feel I need to do!

Some friends mentioned buying a Wii and doing Wii fit...and actually that was my original plan, but right now I need to get out of my apartment-that is the main goal.

So I signed up at True Yoga. Hino freaked(only because he is a "I got my schedule and plan and I HAVE TO FOLLOW IT" person and I...well..am not anymore) because I am paying for these Yoga lessons with a lot of my money that was to go to my new apartment and yeah, it probably was irresponsible, but at this point in my life I feel 200% sure that it was worth it...Actually I've been saving and saving so I still have sufficient funds for apartment, rent and food (So mom no worries!!) I just won't be able to go to IKEA until I actually do get my apartment(or after) is all...

As for the Yoga, I've never thought something so simple as sitting on a mat, doing stretches and sometimes chanting "OM" would make me feel so calm and relaxed...It's like going on vacation 2-3 times a week. Which was another thing. I could spend about the same amount of money and go to Thailand or Japan for a couple days to relax, but then have to come back....with Yoga, this is long term and is a kind of therapy. I want to travel Asia, but I've been letting myself go for too long and I NEED to work on ME first!

Not only do they have Yoga, but they have Belly Dancing, Salsa and other dance classes!

And..when I get more in shape then I can do "Hot Yoga" which is intense yoga with the room temperature raised!


Anyway, this is something I've always wanted and it feels great!!

On another note, we went to Tsaotun on Sunday and ten of us went to clean the shelter! We took some of the dogs on a walk and it was great! I'll post it on my Taiwan Dog Blog.

Well...more news on Yoga later!

Movies I Want to See & Books I Want to Read

Not much has been happening to me besides working. I went to Dajia to the Matsu (goddess of the sea and sailors) with Hino and his friends on Saturday. On Saturday evening, Hino, Tania (a good friend of ours along with her husband , Trent) went to the Lantern Festival on Wen Shin. It was a disappointment. TOO MANY people and TOO FEW lanterns and food stalls.

On Sunday, we had a Taichung PAWS meeting which I will try to find a way to post the results from the meeting. That will be posted on Bre's Taiwan Dog Blog (http://taiwandogblog.blogspot.com).

Since I don't have much to say besides my sudden obsession with wanting a new apartment(a.k.a. a home), a tugou/Formosan dog to take care of in said apartment and constantly looking and shopping for things for my apartment like a bread maker, a washer and other appliances I never cared about before. I think it's safe to say that I'm going through "Kitchen Withdrawal" ...I NEED a kitchen!!!

And since that stuff is boring for a blog, I decided to make a list of movies I want to see after seeing CNN's The Screening Room episode on the Sundance Film Festival.

Movies I've been wanting to see:

• The Good German (halfway through the book)
• Valkyrie (have been reading a lot of WWII books lately)
• Sicko
• 10 Promises to My Dog
• Slumdog Millionaire

Sundance movies:

• Rudo y Cursi
• Push
• We Live in Public

DVDs I want:

• Little Britain
• Absolutely Fabulous
• Dogtown (Best Friends Animal Network)

Books I am reading now:

• The Good German (halfway through)
• Be the Pack Leader
• Siddhartha

My list of books just waiting to be read:

• Dogtown (a book from the Best Friends Animal Network)
• The Lost Continent-Travels in Small Town America by Bill Bryson
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusack
• Shanghai Baby by Wei Hui
• Development and Practice of Humanitarian Buddhism
• Oracle Bones- A Journey Through Time in China by Peter Hessler (seeing as it is almost 500 pages, I might let someone borrow it first before I read it)

Books I've read before and want to read again:

• Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Some books I've read and suggest reading:

• Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
• The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
• The Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff
• The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery
• Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut
• Cesar's Way by Cesar Millan (and when you're finished with that make sure to read his next book, Be the Pack Leader)

Well, that's all for now! I hope my life will get more interesting so I can post more and I will get the Dajia pics up soon!