ten things I never told you

there's been a lot of Taiwan and traveling going on around here lately. but sometimes I like to take a step back, make a cup of tea, do a silly self-portrait session, and get a little personal.

so I made you a list - of ten things I've never told you. [or at least not recently.]

I once spent 3 months without Facebook.

and let me tell you - it was glorious. not having to see all the pointless things people share, get wrapped up in political arguments, or feel the need to be posting things so others could judge my life. BUT then we decided to move abroad and Facebook [sadly] became my main method of communication with those back home. I try to post often enough that people know what's going on in my life, but not check it so often I upset myself. it definitely helped that I made a major "friend" purge before deactivating my account.

I have a weakness for regency era romance novels.

and I mostly download the free ones from kindle, so I've read some pretty terrible ones. I definitely appreciate the freedoms I have as a woman of the modern era... but something about that part of history resonates with me. I also have a weakness for historical fiction in general. and British things. so maybe it's not that surprising.

I'm afraid of going to the dentist.

I don't like going to doctors of any kind and thinking too closely about even visiting someone in the hospital makes me sweat. I went to the dentist yesterday and had myself all psyched out that I had a cavity and was dreading getting it drilled and filled. nope, no cavities. thankfully I found a dentist here who is super nice and treats me like the scared 5 year old I am when I walk in her office.

I'm writing a book.

ok, I definitely have mentioned this on the blog before. but it's been a while since I've written about it. and it's been a while since I've done serious work on my manuscript. I have a pretty solid rough draft of my travel/expat memoir thus far. and I'm getting back to work on it recently. but it needs some revision and refining before I even start looking into the publication process.

I crashed my scooter.

or really, I fell off of the scooter and bruised my knee so badly I couldn't walk properly for two months. it happened back in the early days of this blog so I didn't make a big deal of it. I was still adjusting to life in Taiwan and I didn't want to leave anyone with a negative impression of my experience here. so I wasn't completely honest about it. maybe someday you guys will get the full story.

I forget that I've been to Spain.

I visited Spain for a two week study abroad program in college. but that was over a decade ago, and my photos were all terrible quality since I didn't want to buy a larger memory card. [which, by the way, is my biggest travel regret. ever.] someday I hope to go back and retake those photos. in the meantime I'll just try to remember - oh yes I have been to Europe.

I ran a half marathon once.

that was in 2011. I'm still amazed and proud that I could find the dedication to train for it. and in 2013 I managed to run a slightly shorter 10 mile race. running and I have kindof a love/hate relationship, but I'm hoping to find another half marathon to tackle next spring.

I rarely leave the house without mascara.

unless I'm going for a run, or on vacation, or in desperate need of coffee. everybody needs some kind of security blanket right?

my tattoo is a symbol from a video game.

I modified it a little, but my tattoo is based on the triforce from the Legend of Zelda series. in the games, the smaller triangles that make up the triforce stand for courage, wisdom, and strength [or power.] there's a lot of other meanings wrapped up in it for me... but those three attributes are something I try to remind myself of every day.

I didn't want to move to Asia.

I know. this from the girl who is always talking about her love for Taiwan. five years ago I was terrified at the thought of even traveling to China for business. it just seemed so... foreign. when we started looking to move abroad I quickly had to face the reality that the most opportunity [and lowest cost of living] was in a place that was at the bottom of my list. having never visited Asia at all before moving here, I was terribly anxious. but now I can't imagine how things would be in our life otherwise.

and those are all the deep, dark confessions I have for today. I hope you enjoyed a little peek into my head and I'll be back with more tips for visiting Taiwan next week.

what are some things you've never shared on your blog?