2012 New Year: Same Me

So it turns out that I'm a great big liar. I said in my last post (ahem, cough, a year ago) that I would soon post pictures from my trip to South Africa. If you're friends with me on facebook, you got to see them all. If not. . . well I guess I suck. Sorry.
It is of course the beginning of a new year and that brings with it the resolutions that will be made with the best intentions and quickly forgotten about when daily life resumes. I have of course made a couple resolutions that I will do my darndest to stick to with the obligatory slip into complacency here and there.
My sister is getting married in a few weeks so for the past few months I have been making efforts to eat better and exercise more so I don't look like a giant cow next to her in all the pictures. I mean damn, she got all motivated about her health and stuff and she looks great. I was doing well for the first month and a half and then the holidays and my obsessive need to bake kicked into high gear. On the upside I did stick with my exercise routine and didn't gain any of the weight I'd lost back, but I also didn't make any headway either. That's okay. The new year is here and I am back to eating less junk food and delicious baked goods. Until I go home to see my family in a few weeks. Then all bets are off.
So one resolution is to continue with the eating better and sticking with exercising several times a week.

In an effort to motivate myself to exercise more I have decided to start walking as many of the trails on Yangming Mountain as I can. I was realizing about a week ago that I work right next to this mountain that is well known for beautiful trails and scenery and I have not once been to it. My powers of oblivion know no limits.Anyway, that is resolution number two. More may follow as I examine my life.

So after Katy and I had a delightful brunch to kick off the new year I went to said mountain and attempted to find a trail from a book I borrowed from a friend. I of course managed to get lost, but I did take some pictures along the way. 

 

The Beitou area where I was walking is well known for sulfurous hot springs. The water gets up to 100 degrees centigrade. It's fun to stand by the water as the wind is blowing and feel the heat from the water wash over you when it's cold out.

 

Palm trees, just because.

 These people do not want you climbing the wall.

 

Taipei used to have very bad drinking water so there were water machines like this everywhere. You put a container inside and pay for however much water you want. This water gives you spirit apparently.

These last two pics are just because I liked the way they looked.

 

 

I plan to find the original trail I was looking for and of course take pictures of that to, along with many others.