Snowboarding Bliss

Hello all!  I made it a point to try new things when the new year started.  Call it a New Year's Resolution, I guess.  My friend wanted to go snowboarding for her birthday this year, and I knew it was the only way I'd be able to go.  Over the past four years, I've been wanting to try snowboarding but my ex told me it was too expensive to go (lift tickets, rentals, hotel, etc), but I told myself I was going to do this.  I was lucky enough to get a snowboard for Christmas from one of my close friends and I made sure to put it to good use.  After slowly collecting all the gear I needed for the cold, I was ready for the snow.  Personally, I really didn't know what I was getting myself into... but I'm sure glad I got into it.  Snowboarding for me feels as freeing as flying down the street on a skateboard back when I was 17.


The first time I strapped myself into my snowboard was a little strange.  I didn't really know how to shuffle around with one food locked into the binding and the other being free, but I learned.  I took many spills down the slope and almost suffered a few concussions (thank God for a helmet!).  I found it difficult to stop and slow down, but that eventually came with practice.  After taking a few lessons and practicing on the bunny slope at Hunter Mountain, I've finally been able to make it up the lift and down the steep green side without too much falling.  After one season, I can now do heel turns and toe turns without too much of a problem and I'm starting to learn how to carve the snow.  I'm not as scared to go down the slope either. 

I was also doing some research about snowboards and I never realized there were differences in boards.  I've ended up with two snowboards for two completely different purposes.  My Elan board is a freestyle rocker, which means it's a snowboard for advanced use.  This board is particularly good on the terrain freestyle parks and for doing tricks.  My instructor told me it's more like the "Ferrari" of snowboards, in comparison to most of the rental boards out there.  I pushed myself to learn how to ride this board and not allow the board to ride me.  On the other hand, my Burton Feelgood has a camber shape throughout, which allows for easier maneuverability and control as I glide down the slopes.  I love both my boards and I want to continue to learn by using both of them.  They're short enough for my height, but I ideally want to get a board that's slightly longer once I get better.  I posted a chart below to show the differences between boards, in case anyone was planning to get a snowboard for their own recreational use.

I've come a long way since January and I'm a bit sad the season is winding down, but what can you do... it's getting too warm for snow.  It's quite possible I can sneak in one more snow day before the season ends, but we'll see.  I'm going to have to find another hobby for the spring, summer, and fall before we can go back to this again!  We'll see...

Back from Hiatus

I'M NOT DEAD!!!

Hello all!  I took a long break from this website because I had writers block, no time, and no energy to do anything.  That sounds pretty bad, doesn't it?  I was so comfortable living life in a bubble with a boyfriend I loved and cared about, working from day to day, and spending all my money and energy on random stuff.  2015 was the year that turned my entire life upside down.  When you think everything is going well, someone decides to throw a wrench into your happy little bubble to pop it.  So... here's everything that happened in a quick nutshell.

• Having one job cut my finances in half and I was fighting for hours at the hospital (in case you didn't know, I work in a laboratory in a hospital - yes, I am a vampire that likes to take your blood... and other fun specimens).  
• I was unhappy at home, so I decided it was time for my boyfriend and I to take the next step and move in together (which in an Asian household, is definitely shunned upon).  This further cut my finances into almost nothing every month.
• I still tried to do the normal things in life, despite my inability to be financially stable... which resulted in more fighting with the boyfriend (since spending that extra money was pointless to him)
• Having said that, a build up of debt, being unhappy at work, and constantly fighting with my boyfriend led to... 
• a messy breakup after 4 years
• being kicked out of said apartment
• finding a new place to live in 48 hours without moving back to my parents home
• forcing myself to focus on the board exam I've been struggling to pass to get my career going in the medical field
• shutting everything out and depriving myself of sanity to focus on myself since my other half left me in the dark

Long story short, I've come to realize that all things have good and bad times... ups and downs, and even worse times.  Since all this has happened, I still haven't passed the exam but I've found my self worth again.  I've become a stronger person as an individual as compared to the person I was when I was in a relationship (someone who was dependent on their significant other for happiness).  Old friends came back to help me get back on my feet and become myself again.  I'm thankful for the new ones that came into my life to snap me out of my daze and I'm even more thankful for my family who helped me through my tough summer.  I went back to church and realized God really does work miracles on everyone, even when you've been away for so long. 

So after all that, you're probably wondering what happened to the ex.  Well, he came back to me... but we're just talking because I have too many things on my plate.  The year just started, so who knows where my life will take me?  After working 45 hours this week (now I've got an overabundance of hours), I've come to realize there is so much more to me and I need to find out how to tap into it all.  So... hello new year, hello to more blogs, and hello to life.  Let's start over and make it fresh.

Cheers!!!