New location!

I have officially moved my blog to a new address: 

http://focusonthegood.io/

Please update your bookmarks and such!

Big Changes...

It isn't like me to let two weeks go by without updating. And I can't really keep secrets, so I decided to post something now letting you know that Focus on the Good is moving. I have been working with a friend to get my blog hosted on an independent domain and its taken a while, but is getting close to finished! My friend has helped me create a website out of nothing and I am so excited to finally see it coming together. I'm afraid to put a link up yet, because its not totally ready, but be patient, please. Big changes are just around the corner...

Snail Mail Collective

In November I did something I had never done before, signing up for the Nectar Collective's Snail Mail Collective, a blogger exchange.

 I love mail. I love getting it (who doesn't?), but I adore sending it. I stop by the stationery store weekly to browse - Asia, as a rule, as the absolute best letter sets. I send letters out every other week, postcards with quick notes to full on packages. It brings me joy to touch something, hold it, and carry it around with me, to write out my love and ship it away to the other side of the world. So when I saw their Snail Mail Collective, I knew I was committed. They are wonderful and organize it all, picking a theme and pairing people up. Our theme for November was, of course, gratitude. We're given blog links and email addresses and about 2 weeks to connect via email. The limit is $5 per package which makes it affordable for anyone to participate.

I was paired with Lauren, from My Passion Journey. I had a hard time deciding just what I should send her, because there are just so many things I am grateful for. I'm not sure if she has received my package yet, so I really don't want to give it away! But, I can tell you wrapping her package gave me lots of wrapping inspiration and I used the same theme for my family gifts this year, which are already flying across the world as I write this.

Lauren is really sweet. We discussed traveling, her recent trip through Europe made me really want to go back! She gave me lots of inspiration for different life plans, which I am always seeking out. She mailed me what she is grateful for, her favorite lip balms, and an adorable little notebook. I've been using it to take notes on bus times and train stations since its small enough to tuck into my bag or pocket. Check out her blog if you want to follow her weekly search for beauty in the every day, uplifting quotes, and her regular chronicles of goals and dreams that remind readers to be constantly seeking improvement.I especially loved her post on the reasons to move to Phoenix! I'm always looking for an excuse to move, and she gives plenty!

If you're sold on signing up for the next Snail Mail Collective exchange, check this link. This will be the last one that they host, so sign up before December 7th to get in! The theme will be travel, so it will be hard for me to resist participating again. 

Keelung, Taiwan

I have had the north coast of Taiwan on my list for a while, especially Nanya Rock Formations. They are a little out of the way, and I couldn't figure out if there was a bus there or if it was only reachable by taxi and private cars. Since I didn't really know where to go, I didn't know the best train to take and ultimately I bought a train ticket to Keelung thinking I could get a bus to the rock formations easily. I didn't realize Ruifang would have been a better choice or just how far that bus ride would be. But, when the bus pulled onto the expressway along the ocean, I just got off. It was so beautiful there, I couldn't stand to be waiting for something better. I didn't know where I was or how I'd get back to catch my return train, but the weather warmed up, almost 75F, and the skies were blue. I decided there was absolutely no where more important for me to get to than the ocean and that it would sort itself out. And I was right. I spent the day watching the waves come in, the fisherman carefully balancing on the rocks, and children running around flying kites. I wandered from the very edge of Keelung, by the Wanghai Fishing Harbor to the Fish Market. I grabbed a bus to return to the train station just in time to get whisked away.

I found it surprising how many lights the fishing boats have, but yesterday I discovered why. I'll be posting an entry all about this soon. 

I love these rocks, the colors are just perfect. 

I'm not sure why this is here, as neither side is accessible by a road intended for people. I found it beautiful and spent a long time relaxing here, reading my book.

The water from Keelung is really beautiful. I have heard Hsinchu's port is not as pretty, so I will probably procrastinate that trip to stave off disappointment. This will be hard to beat as I really loved Keelung.