A test of my resolve

So I'm not really a big New Year's resolution person, mostly because once I decide to do something, I just try to do it immediately regardless of the time of year.  But now is a good time for reflection and after this break it's clear to me that I need to do a better job of using my time more efficiently next semester.  So, I'm going to try some different ways to do that, but one way, unfortunately, is that I might blog less often.  Partly, this is because when I'm working I don't have time for many adventures and so now that I've been here a while, there are less new things to write about.  But also, it takes a while to write a good post (usually an hour or two) and it adds up.  So I'm still going to try to write often, but it probably won't be going back to every day.  Sorry readers!

I'm also excited about the prospect of getting back into yoga after a year-long break.  I couldn't do it for most of last year because of my wrist pain, and then Dr. Yeung said that I should let it heal at least 3 months before getting back on the mat.  I got needled in October, so time is almost up!  :)

Ok, that stuff aside, here's what I've been up to the past few days.  First, some exploring.  I live near the Kun Iam temple, only 2 blocks away actually, and I have to walk past it every time I go to the bus or the laundromat.  So as you can imagine, I've thought about going inside many times, but usually I'm on my way to school or am carrying a large bag of clothes when I have this thought, so it hasn't happened until this week.  It was amazing!  I am always hesitant to take photos in temples because I don't want to offend anyone, but luckily there were a bunch posted online, so I can show you anyway.

 Here's what it looks like from the street.

 I LOVED these enormous statues at the entrance.  I wish I had one of these for my room. 

There are all kinds of these plaques with pictures and writing on them.  I assume they are memorials of some kind because there are people buried here.  It's a little creepy because most of them are already dead, but the living ones are the ones covered by red paper.  

 The place is enormous - it just keeps going and going like a maze.  This is one of the main worshiping areas.  Those yellow cones are spiraling incense that just slowly burn up over the course of the day.  They smell lovely.

And just when you think you've reached the end, you come to the outside area where there are tables and gardens and graveyards and terraces and statues.  Awesome place and very serene.  It was totally quiet when I went in - just a few people there.  Some guys were having lunch at the outside tables, that was about it.  I'd love to just go hang out there if I were around during the day.  Maybe it'll be a little treat on weekends.

This is the only photo I actually took myself.  I figured they wouldn't mind, as long as I didn't block the sun.  (The crusty thing rising out of the water is a dragon's head fountain.  See it?)

Beth and I also had dinner with some new friends, Natasha and Connie.  They were interesting to talk to and invited us for hotpot at the Fatty Lamb.  Yum!  Over the course of our conversation, Natasha told me about a really awesome-sounding hot springs in Zhuhai, which is just across the border in Mainland China.  I may have to get that visa sooner than expected.  :)

I looked up the pronunciation of this church - it's like pain-ya.  I think Portuguese sounds like a mixture of Spanish and French, so I'm never sure which way to say it when I read it.  Anyway, the inside of this church was very plain, but the outside was beautiful - assuming you like stonework.  Beth and I had been wanting to visit it since we got here, so it was nice to finally do so.

Slightly annoying was the fact that there were multiple couples getting wedding photos taken while we were there, so it was hard to feel like we could go up and take a good look without getting in the way.  This happens all the time in Macau - I guess even on a gray, cold weekday it can't be avoided. 

I liked this quiet little space off to the side.

These guard dogs can be spotted in doorways and gateways all over Macau.  Love these guys.  It's my theory that they're supposed to be Chou Chous, which is why they kind of look like lion-dogs.  There's always a male on one side and a female on the other.  You can tell which is which because the female has a pup under her front paw and the male just has a ball or something.  They're super cool.

The church is on top of a high hill, so I caught this view on the way back down.

Also on the way down, we walked past a number of Macau's government buildings.  They're all painted like this, Portuguese-style in pink and white.  I felt for a minute like I had fallen into Candy Land.  Candy Land with lots of guards and security cameras and iron fences.

Later I went into Taipa on my own and took the time to check out another place I've seen many times.  This garden is downtown, near the Park-N-Shop and U.S. Mart, where I get all the things from home I love at exorbitant rates. 

Later on, I wandered into Old Taipa Village looking for another temple I'd read about.  Turns out it was closed for the night, but this group of guys were performing right in front of it, so I sat down and listened for a while.  I can't resist live music, especially when there's a strong horn section.

Afterwards, Beth and I joined Miranda for dinner at her favorite Thai place in Taipa.  It was lovely and I was thrilled to see that they serve Thai iced tea!

I was boring and got the pad thai, just because I haven't had it in so long.  It came wrapped in this egg like an omelet pocket - weird but tasty.  Miranda had some kind of curry and that was really good too.  Will have to go back soon!

I tried to go out for breakfast with Miranda the next day so I could get the famous "intestine noodles" featured in No Reservations, which we had discussed over our dinner.  (Not really intestines, just a thick tubular rice pasta with peanut sauce.)  Anyway, to our dismay the restaurant was closed because of the holiday and so we went to another famous noodle place instead.  I got this beef noodle dish with a meaty/curry sauce and washed it down with a grape Fanta.  A departure from my normal breakfast routine, but it was really good!  I'm hoping Miranda and I can try again for the intestine noodles sometime soon.

We had no plans for New Year's Eve, but Karen came over to give Beth her Mandarin lesson and where Karen goes, parties follow.  So before we knew it we were cooking up a pizza, making mojitos and debating which version of mahjong to play.  It was a fun night!  We toasted with our Bailey's at midnight and no sooner had we done so than the loud, thunder-like booming of fireworks informed us that the official clock had reached midnight as well.  A little foretaste of things to come on Lunar New Year.

Not much to report today - I finally dealt with my laundry hand-washing pile and I've started planning for Becky's upcoming visit.  In the afternoon, we all went for a walk/shopping excursion because we're all in the market for some new shoes.  I think I can safely say that is impossible for me to find a pair of shoes in Macau that are: a. attractive by my standards, b. comfortable on my not-so-narrow feet, and c. a reasonable height.  We looked at tons of shoes today and they are all either flats or 5" heels, with very little in-between.  In addition, everything is covered in sequins, bows, fur, or some combination thereof.  (sigh)  Time to see if anyone in Hong Kong carries Danskos.  :)

This is the only style I seriously considered, but I think they're too narrow.  And the heel weirds me out a little.