LJ Interests meme results

bio-mechanics:
Human bodies are a hack, in a number of ways. But with some time and patience, they can be taught to work more efficiently, and usually more comfortably. My body has been through a fair bit, so I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to get it to work. Which quickly expanded to interest in the subject more generally.
computational linguistics:
The field I probably ought to be trying to go into. Having a background both in the computational and linguistics side... Actually, the field appeals to me for a lot of the same reasons I'm interested in genomics and computational biology, being an intersection of mathematical elegance and complex organic messiness. But I'm still labouring under the illusion that biology is less arbitrary. (Or perhaps, more precisely, that biology involves a better defined set of constraints.)
fitness:
So what the heck is fitness, anyway? I was raised to think that it meant participating in team sports that I hated, and being neurotic about my diet and body image. Nowdays, it mostly means being active enough that I feel energetic and in minimum of pain, and whatever other things assist me in those pursuits. Oh, and perhaps even more centrally, being physically able to do cool stuff, which usually means climbing and hiking and martial arts, but is pretty flexible according to my whim.
hot springs:
A special case of my general interest in water. And a reason to go into the forest in the winter.
metabolism:
Another big messy complex system I'm fascinated by.
physiatry:
A branch of medicine focusing on physical rehab, especially dealing with spine injuries. What I'd probably want to be in if I were going to be an MD.
shoes:
I have weird feet, structurally, mechanically, and proportionally, and I use them very hard. Without good shoes, not only do my feet hurt, but I tend to feel it in my legs and hips, too. And I'm really picky about grip and things in my martial arts shoes. I spend almost as much time looking for good shoes as I do good sports bras.
taiji:
Also known as T'ai Chi. My primary martial art is Chen Taiji. I've been studying for nine years, I teach a bit, and it is absolutely wonderful and did a lot to help me put my spine back together after it fell off.
water:
What's not to like? In a fictional world I've been neglecting recently, there's a whole tradition of medicine that revolves entirely around the proper application of water -- hot water, cold water, ice, steam, taken internally, applied externally, patient thrown into... I think some of the newer practitioners are treating herbal infusions as a variant on water, but that's not strictly traditional ;-) I like water because I like life.
中国文化:
Chinese Culture. Oh dear. The good answer is non trivial. There was a significant Chinese influence on my upbringing (one branch of the family is Chinese or half Chinese). Then, in my teens, I became interested in the Maoist revolution and the PRC... which lead to me studying Chinese language, as well as international poli-econ with an emphasis on modern China. Then Craig pointed out that it would be silly to go back to karate, which I'd been away from for a few years at that time, when I spoke Chinese and there were some really good local teachers of Chinese martial arts...

Except for what I absorbed as a kid, I only became interested in older Chinese history and literature late in the game. And I wasn't hugely interested in Chinese philosophy early on, and even now my interest is a little casual. (That I can read classical chinese doesn't mean I'm that diligent about it. And I'd rather read Qing dynasty ghost stories.)

It's a little embarrassing sometimes, being an oversized white girl.