Life without Surf

It's been almost 6 months since I moved to NY. It is only now that I am feeling the effects of not being in the water or near the water, technically the last time I surfed was in November and I went to the beach in December.

Long Beach NYC, Nov 2019

I noticed I get grumpy easily and have more sad moments. I've been hacking my way out of it by being more active. I'm doing yoga and capoeira, they're helping me stay fit and I think they are helping me relieve stress.

I'm on my 4th week of yoga and I'm learning the headstand, I noticed my favorite part of the practice is when my world is altered, like being upside-down. I feel the same about capoeira, my favorite part is when we do cartwheels with a partner. I'm pretty sure I'm far from doing an elegant cartwheel, tho.

Both my teachers, Jorge S. (yoga) and Professora Missil (capoeira), are really good and friendly. I went to yoga on valentine's day and Jorge gave dark truffle chocolates after he gave us a tough time in class. (I go to West Side YMCA).

The people in my capoeira class are so nice and helpful. They were patient with me being confused with kicking and ducking. Some of them also brought treats that we ate the first time I went, carrot cake and snickerdoodle, which I loved so much! I've only gone once but I intend to go twice a week.

In terms of outdoor activities, I went snowboarding in January which was fun. I wish I can do it more often. Until now I still cannot get off of the lift without falling on my butt. One time I fell from a higher point than usual because I was focusing too much on landing my board vertically that I forgot the landing part.

I was telling Tom how I thought my life in NY will completely be spent walking the salted pavements of Manhattan, and how I'm glad I still get to explore the outdoors. I cannot wait for the weather to be warmer so that I can explore more.

I don't think any activity will replace surfing for me, but for now, since it's still cold, I'll have to enjoy what is available. Can't wait for spring!

Comments

Surf life in New York

NYC was my least preferred city among the four metros I was hoping to move to. I desired to be in Southern California mainly for the surf. I imagined my ideal day to day – get a house in a beach neighborhood, surf in the morning before work. Also, by that point, I had already enjoyed my SoCal life having stayed there for a few months. Spoiler alert, the best school for data analytics didn’t accept me, instead I moved to NYC. It’s almost two years. And although I don’t live by the beach I am living my dreams – morning surf before data analytics. I’m discovering that NY has beautiful waves, less than an hour away from the city. It took me a year before I got my stoke surfing NYC. Sometime in October 2018 I guess my first year of surfing here was one of denial. I didn’t think I would have as much fun as I had surfing the Philippines and I have my reasons and I abode by them. The water is cold, the water is dirty, there are a lot of New Yorkers in the lineup (I had my f...

Remembering Tito Junior (The Man Behind my Nickname among other things)

I have a memory of a feeling I had as a kid, the feeling of anticipation that came with family gatherings, especially during Christmas and summer outings. Tito Junior was always a source of joy for me. His light-hearted jokes and easy-to-digest life philosophies, reminiscent of Winnie the Pooh, always filled my cup. His insights were not only easy to understand, but they were great north stars -- take them to heart and they could guide you in the right direction towards a fulfilling life. Tito Junior and Tita Edna hihi I remember how he once said something about every person has their own talent, and each one takes their own time to develop and flourish, I wish I remember the verbiage he used because it was funny, but it made sense. In a world where aunts and uncles would praise kids for excelling in school, Tito Junior's wisdom was a refreshing reminder that everyone's journey is unique, and that success is not limited to scholarly achievements or for that matter worldly achi...

Happy Birthday Wishes for my Dad

I recently went on this gratefulness trip that made me remember the many amazing things I've experienced in my life. It's funny how sometimes we forget about the good stuff when life gets tough and we're overwhelmed with fear and insecurities. That's exactly how it was for me when I was dealing with the pressure of finding a job in NY and trying to excel at work. (Read about it here Finding Ground ) As I reflect, it's astonishing how I responded to uncertainty with so much fear and resistance. I used to handle ambiguity with curiosity and joy, but somehow I had lost that along the way (happy to share that I’m relearning that power). But yeah, some of the most vivid experiences I have include chasing a bus that left me in the border of Cambodia and Vietnam. I took a bathroom break and when I came out, the bus had bailed on me! But the folks at the restaurant were so nice and in a heartbeat, without even thinking, they hooked me up with a motorcycle and we went on...

To see and experience as much and to capture them in words

Search This Blog