Skip to main content

Looking Ahead

Besides the obvious thesis topic, there are several goals I have for my PhD pursuit years. Already I have undertaken hiking every good weather weekend. North Carolina, especially within a 50 mile radius of Durham, seems to be perfect hiking country. Lots of woods, some lakes, nature everywhere. It's a great way to refresh the mind and keep the body in shape. Usually I leave around 800 am with some friends (not too many are willing to get up so early on Saturdays) and head to one of the closest state parks. We hike for about 2 to 3 hours, taking photos, talking the gamut of things. It's awesome.
Next on the to do list is horse-back riding. Ever since childhood I wanted to learn how to ride a horse, and now I'm going to actually make an effort to do so. I'm sure the process may not come cheap, but this is definitely something I've always wanted to do. Perhaps this is inevitable as my name in Greek actually means "lover of horses."
Sailing. I've got my land experiences, and now I want to conquer the sea (let's start with the more tranquil lakes first shall we?). Actually a family friend in the area has offered to take me sea fishing; this is an opportunity I won't miss out on. As for sailing, it's more likely I'll go to Jordan Lake, and enjoy the peacefulness and oneness with nature there. But first to join the sailing club.
Finally, skiing. This one I had the chance to try it out many years ago, but in the end I missed the opportunity. Next time I'll take it.
I figure this is what life is all about. Taking time to cultivate yourself, enjoy various activites, excel in work, and find meaningful relationships. (the last one I need to get kicking on, so my parents will stop nagging!)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Youthful Reminisces

These past four days have been a trip down memory lane. I'm going to try to organize some of the memories for blogging, though not all in this post. My parents, M and I took a road trip to Hualien, partly as a family get-away, and also to introduce our Taiwanese hometown to a group of my brother's ( Albert Wu see here and here ) students from France. Albert and his wife are jointly teaching a course in history in Paris, and over the last few weeks they have been taking their students on an abroad research-coursework-fun tour of Taiwan. If you know my father, he tends to try to get involved in some way with any of his sons' projects, and from our perspectives, it's great to get his help and/or just advice (from time to time). My brother and his wife planned a historical, social justice introduction to Taiwan (I wrote about a visit to Dadaocheng ). Important components to understand the complex identities and mindsets of Taiwanese today involves understanding the Ea

Did X say that?

I was cleaning out old draft emails when I came upon these quotes. 1. “Set your goals high; make friends with different kinds of people; enjoy simple pleasures. Stand on high ground; sit on level ground; walk on expansive ground.” 2. In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit . -Albert Schweitzer, philosopher, physician, musician, Nobel laureate (1875-1965) Both quotes resonated with me, and both quotes provide profound, provoking, prose projecting providence. But for the first quote I'm not sure who to attribute, and for the second, while I'd like to imagine he said that, I'm not really sure if Dr. Schweitzer did (because I have never met him!). In the internet age, I think it really behooves one to critically analyze everything read online. Does X make sense, did X say that? Sometimes it&

Just a few more quotes to post and share!

See the post title. ***** If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author and aviator (1900-1945)    "No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions d