Last Christmas (Christmas of 2011) Jack and I took a train ride to Denver Colorado to visit his sister, Karen, and snowboard with them.
To me, train rides were very classy and romantic, as I only saw them on classic movies. It represented movies like Holiday Inn and Thin Man. We spent more money to ride the train one way than to take a round trip flight, just to get the experience.
In reality, a train ride was a kind of social experience. Even if you stayed in your cart all day long, you still had to come out to the dining cart to eat your 3 meals. Since we were a couple and all of the tables were for parties of four, we shared a dining table with two other people in every meal.
That night we were riding into Salt Lake City, we shared the table with an older man and a middle-age woman who were sitting next to each other. We were all very polite, but Jack and I were not the most social people. The man who sat across from me were more talkative. As per usual, we all shared where we came from and where were going and our train riding experience. Jack and I usually told people how this was our very first train ride and we were very excited about our private cart. As the food came we went out of topics, so we started eating.
It was until we got our bills when we found out the man and the woman were not a couple, because they paid separately. I looked at the woman and said: "Boston is a nice place." She gave me a blank look and said: "Yes, Boston is a nice place." Then we went quiet again. The man picked up the topic, "Yes, Boston is nice. I went to school there." He told us a little about going to school in Boston, which I now forgot the details.
Back in our cart, Jack and I were reflecting on our dinner experience, and how quiet everyone was. I said: "Well, I contributed to the discussion, but nobody picked it up."
"How did you contribute to the discussion?" Jack asked curiously.
"I said, 'Boston is a nice place.'" I replied.
"Yeah, that. What was that all about?" Jack asked.
"Well, I said it because the woman was from Boston."
"No, she was from Baltimore." Jack said, and he couldn't stop laughing.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
What's today?
Story on Saturday morning.
I woke up to my doggies running around the house and jumping on and off the bed. Jack brought me my morning coffee. Still fighting to keep my eyes opened and my mind cleared, I asked: "What date is today?" I glanced on my iphone.
"I think it's the 29th." Jack replied.
"No, it's the 27th." I was quite convinced as I just checked on my iphone. I looked at my iphone again, and started laughing. What I saw was 9:27. "Oh, OK, it's the 29th, you're right."
Now I'm awake.
I woke up to my doggies running around the house and jumping on and off the bed. Jack brought me my morning coffee. Still fighting to keep my eyes opened and my mind cleared, I asked: "What date is today?" I glanced on my iphone.
"I think it's the 29th." Jack replied.
"No, it's the 27th." I was quite convinced as I just checked on my iphone. I looked at my iphone again, and started laughing. What I saw was 9:27. "Oh, OK, it's the 29th, you're right."
Now I'm awake.
Today I drove from Winter to Summer, and back
My story from Thursday 9/27/12
I had a team lunch today at noon. My morning started early, with a few important meetings back to back, and some busy work in between, i.e., multi-tasking. Around 11 AM I packed my computer, put on a T-shirt, pants and a denim jacket, and jumped in my car. The dense fog felt like drizzle, and since I didn't eat anything except for my morning coffee, I was chilled to the bones, so I turned on my heater.
In a rush, I punched the address into my GPS on the iPad - I can't go anywhere without my GPS. Here were the directions.
Start driving on highway 1 south bound for 8 miles. I drove by pumpkin and brussels sprouts farms, some beaches and coastal restaurants.
Turn left onto CA 92 east bound and drive for 12 miles. I drove on a winding road, passing by nurseries and flower fields.
Exit to highway 280 south bound and drive for 28 miles. I drove by the beautiful reservoir and mountains. The weather became sunnier and sunnier the further south I went, and the hills changed from green to brown. Somewhere around there I turned off my heater.
Exit on highway 85 south bound and drive for 21 miles. There was nothing significant here, just office buildings and residential areas connecting various shopping malls.
Exit on highway 101 south bound. Guess what, pumpkin and vegetable farms on both sides of the road.
I drove pass the Silicon Valley Lab IBM campus, which was the furthest I went in this part of the neighborhood and on this direction. As I drove into another narrowed two lane winding country road, up the hill, I drove into the unknown.
I started to doubt the directions, but as I already drove over 50 miles to here, there was no turning back without putting some food into my stomach.
Following the GPS direction, I drove up the hill for 1.5 miles, and finally I saw a field of green. In the middle there was a ranch style building, where I found a parking lot. I parked and walked out of the car to find the piping high 80 degree temperature. At around 12:20, I found my group of 15 sitting at the patio facing the golf course under 2 big umbrellas.
Two hours later, we left the restaurant. The inside of my car felt like an oven, so I rolled down all the windows, and sett up my GPS. I drove the same way back. When I saw the thick fog rolling down the mountains around Crystal Spring Reservoir, I knew I was almost home.
I had a team lunch today at noon. My morning started early, with a few important meetings back to back, and some busy work in between, i.e., multi-tasking. Around 11 AM I packed my computer, put on a T-shirt, pants and a denim jacket, and jumped in my car. The dense fog felt like drizzle, and since I didn't eat anything except for my morning coffee, I was chilled to the bones, so I turned on my heater.
In a rush, I punched the address into my GPS on the iPad - I can't go anywhere without my GPS. Here were the directions.
Start driving on highway 1 south bound for 8 miles. I drove by pumpkin and brussels sprouts farms, some beaches and coastal restaurants.
Turn left onto CA 92 east bound and drive for 12 miles. I drove on a winding road, passing by nurseries and flower fields.
Exit to highway 280 south bound and drive for 28 miles. I drove by the beautiful reservoir and mountains. The weather became sunnier and sunnier the further south I went, and the hills changed from green to brown. Somewhere around there I turned off my heater.
Exit on highway 85 south bound and drive for 21 miles. There was nothing significant here, just office buildings and residential areas connecting various shopping malls.
Exit on highway 101 south bound. Guess what, pumpkin and vegetable farms on both sides of the road.
I drove pass the Silicon Valley Lab IBM campus, which was the furthest I went in this part of the neighborhood and on this direction. As I drove into another narrowed two lane winding country road, up the hill, I drove into the unknown.
I started to doubt the directions, but as I already drove over 50 miles to here, there was no turning back without putting some food into my stomach.
Following the GPS direction, I drove up the hill for 1.5 miles, and finally I saw a field of green. In the middle there was a ranch style building, where I found a parking lot. I parked and walked out of the car to find the piping high 80 degree temperature. At around 12:20, I found my group of 15 sitting at the patio facing the golf course under 2 big umbrellas.
Two hours later, we left the restaurant. The inside of my car felt like an oven, so I rolled down all the windows, and sett up my GPS. I drove the same way back. When I saw the thick fog rolling down the mountains around Crystal Spring Reservoir, I knew I was almost home.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Thank you, but no thank you.
Thank you, but no thank you to your soliciting phone calls, letters and emails.
Thank you, but no thank you. I don't need to shop for a new coach bag, some fancy new outfit, or shoes.
Thank you, but no thank you, I don't need your exclusive membership, discounts or free samples.
Thank you, but no thank you, I don't want to join your organization, donate to a cause or answer your survey.
Thank you, but no thank you, I don't want a chance to win a big price, or receive a discount on some getaways.
Thank you, but no thank you, I don't want to hear disturbing news of the day.
Thank you, but no thank you for your free advice on finance or home loan.
Happiness is knowing how to find contentment and peace from within.
Thank you, but no thank you. I don't need to shop for a new coach bag, some fancy new outfit, or shoes.
Thank you, but no thank you, I don't need your exclusive membership, discounts or free samples.
Thank you, but no thank you, I don't want to join your organization, donate to a cause or answer your survey.
Thank you, but no thank you, I don't want a chance to win a big price, or receive a discount on some getaways.
Thank you, but no thank you, I don't want to hear disturbing news of the day.
Thank you, but no thank you for your free advice on finance or home loan.
Happiness is knowing how to find contentment and peace from within.
Balance restored
Life, if not balanced, might result in stress. Diet, if not balanced, might result in poor health. Finances, if not balanced, might result in deficit. If we are physically out of balance, we might fall.
The last couple of days, Jack and I feel unusually balanced while we are at home. Our house was cleaned for the first time after 2 months, or was it 3? I don't remember, but it felt like eternity. Thanks to my housekeeper, Viry, who just came back from sick leave on Wednesday. Without Viry, I could barely keep up with laundry and putting dishes in the dish washer.
The dust and dog hair gathered the last few months are gone. The stove and the dishes cleaned. The mess in the house is sorted out, and we can walk bare-footed without dirtying our feet!
I wish I have a magic wand, so that I can give it a wave, and my house will be cleaned! That would be perfect.
Life balanced. Peace and joy!
The last couple of days, Jack and I feel unusually balanced while we are at home. Our house was cleaned for the first time after 2 months, or was it 3? I don't remember, but it felt like eternity. Thanks to my housekeeper, Viry, who just came back from sick leave on Wednesday. Without Viry, I could barely keep up with laundry and putting dishes in the dish washer.
The dust and dog hair gathered the last few months are gone. The stove and the dishes cleaned. The mess in the house is sorted out, and we can walk bare-footed without dirtying our feet!
I wish I have a magic wand, so that I can give it a wave, and my house will be cleaned! That would be perfect.
Life balanced. Peace and joy!
Melting away
Last night was Thursday Yoga Night. I walked into the yoga room with my mind obsessed with a particular person's impression on me. What he did, how it impacted me in this way or that, what I wanted to do.
I thought about it from top down, bottom up, and every other directions. Once I was done thinking about it that way, I dissected the big problem into smaller pieces, and then started the same process for those smaller pieces. I could not shake it off of me.
Jean started the yoga class with a very mild note. The whole class was effortless yet powerful. We did Vinyasa, and wew perfecting our worrier poses striving for relaxing the neck and shoulders. Then we did balancing poses, and I was so effortless and still. The whole class was harmonious and flowing naturally.
Slowly, I started to turn my mind inward. More and more I focused on me and my own practice. My body was so nurtured and my mind became so focused. It seems ridiculous for me to be so obsessed with a person, giving him so much power to consume me. I replaced my troubled mind with a big SELF.
I left the class with a big smile and was glowing when I got home!
I thought about it from top down, bottom up, and every other directions. Once I was done thinking about it that way, I dissected the big problem into smaller pieces, and then started the same process for those smaller pieces. I could not shake it off of me.
Jean started the yoga class with a very mild note. The whole class was effortless yet powerful. We did Vinyasa, and wew perfecting our worrier poses striving for relaxing the neck and shoulders. Then we did balancing poses, and I was so effortless and still. The whole class was harmonious and flowing naturally.
Slowly, I started to turn my mind inward. More and more I focused on me and my own practice. My body was so nurtured and my mind became so focused. It seems ridiculous for me to be so obsessed with a person, giving him so much power to consume me. I replaced my troubled mind with a big SELF.
I left the class with a big smile and was glowing when I got home!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Conversation of a random morning
Ying: Good thing I slept well last night, otherwise I'll be a dead horse.
Jack: Or a raving lunatic.
Smile... and have a nice day.
Jack: Or a raving lunatic.
Smile... and have a nice day.
Monday, September 17, 2012
I found my watch
Last Sunday morning (yesterday), while Jack was making hummus, I was busy clearing our mails, which were piled up on the kitchen table for 2 months. This is truly one of my least favorite activities, but it has to be done.
I first sorted out the soliciting mails from the business mails, and separated Jack's and mine into 2 piles. For the soliciting mails, I put the ones with our address into the grinding pile and the rest in the recycle bin. I also opened up Jack's mails with a letter opener, while reading my own mails. I found a few bills but they were not time critical. Finally after 2 hours, I got to a point where I could see my dining table again, and there laid my long lost watch.
I was on a roll, so I went to reorganize my desk for the very first time in 8 years. I put away useless papers and outdated magazines. This time, I found my phone card and a nice wool glove, which was lost many years ago. Only now I don't know where the other one is.
Oh well, I'm sure it will show up sometime.
I first sorted out the soliciting mails from the business mails, and separated Jack's and mine into 2 piles. For the soliciting mails, I put the ones with our address into the grinding pile and the rest in the recycle bin. I also opened up Jack's mails with a letter opener, while reading my own mails. I found a few bills but they were not time critical. Finally after 2 hours, I got to a point where I could see my dining table again, and there laid my long lost watch.
I was on a roll, so I went to reorganize my desk for the very first time in 8 years. I put away useless papers and outdated magazines. This time, I found my phone card and a nice wool glove, which was lost many years ago. Only now I don't know where the other one is.
Oh well, I'm sure it will show up sometime.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
My memories of September 11th
I am sure you must have your own memories 9/11/2001 no matter where you were that day. To me it was a very very sad day.
I lived in Austin, Texas back then, and was a new college hire working in a big computer technology company. It was an ordinary September morning, where the only thing I had to worry about was the 100 degree summer heat.
Around 10 AM we heard the news and people started to gather around the TV to watch the unbelievable story unfold. We saw repeating scenes of the twin towers crumbling down as if they were built with sand, and each time there was a little more detail. We saw people jumping off the buildings. The analysis of when the first plane hit the first tower and we heard the emergency calls. On the streets, people were running away for their lives from the debris and thick dusts, those scenes could only be seen on movies.
As I watched on, I felt very sad and I wanted to cry. The only thing on my mind was: "Oh my God! How could this happen?" I looked at others around me, and nobody said a word. They stood stern faced with their eyes fixed on the TV monitor. I felt that the country was under attacked and that we were at war. It was just so unreal that it was so close to home, or should I say, right at home.
After a while I couldn't stand it anymore, so I went back to work feeling heavy in my chest.
I lived in Austin, Texas back then, and was a new college hire working in a big computer technology company. It was an ordinary September morning, where the only thing I had to worry about was the 100 degree summer heat.
Around 10 AM we heard the news and people started to gather around the TV to watch the unbelievable story unfold. We saw repeating scenes of the twin towers crumbling down as if they were built with sand, and each time there was a little more detail. We saw people jumping off the buildings. The analysis of when the first plane hit the first tower and we heard the emergency calls. On the streets, people were running away for their lives from the debris and thick dusts, those scenes could only be seen on movies.
As I watched on, I felt very sad and I wanted to cry. The only thing on my mind was: "Oh my God! How could this happen?" I looked at others around me, and nobody said a word. They stood stern faced with their eyes fixed on the TV monitor. I felt that the country was under attacked and that we were at war. It was just so unreal that it was so close to home, or should I say, right at home.
After a while I couldn't stand it anymore, so I went back to work feeling heavy in my chest.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
In the box?
One day Jack came home and saw an empty amazon.com box sitting on the dining table, he asked curiously: "What was in the box?" It reminded both of us of what Katharine Hepburn said in "Bringing up Baby." - In the box? We both chuckled.
When I told him it was a book and a hair drying towel I ordered for myself last week, he was visibly disappointed.
In this household, deliveries bring a certain kind of excitement. Just like in "The Music Man", the whole town was singing and dancing when the Wells Fargo Wagon came with deliveries.
Now I can totally see Jack doing the UPS dance.
When I told him it was a book and a hair drying towel I ordered for myself last week, he was visibly disappointed.
In this household, deliveries bring a certain kind of excitement. Just like in "The Music Man", the whole town was singing and dancing when the Wells Fargo Wagon came with deliveries.
Now I can totally see Jack doing the UPS dance.
Another perfect day
How can it be possible? Two perfect days, back to back. It is so unreal!
We kiteboarded at the sunny San Mateo bay, it was challenging, thrilling but fun. Then we let the doggies run, swim, and fetch the ball in the water. All of us got physically exhausted, so that our minds don't get troubled by unimportant things.
We kiteboarded at the sunny San Mateo bay, it was challenging, thrilling but fun. Then we let the doggies run, swim, and fetch the ball in the water. All of us got physically exhausted, so that our minds don't get troubled by unimportant things.
It sure feels like Autumn
It's only the beginning of September, but I already feel the change of the season in Half Moon Bay.
The sun finally burns through the clouds and warms up the coastal town;
pumpkins are peaking from their big, bushy leaves;
green peas are growing healthy and strong;
fields of colorful flowers are blooming along the side of the road;
the air is brisk and windy but not too cold.
It sure feels like the Autumn to me.
The sun finally burns through the clouds and warms up the coastal town;
pumpkins are peaking from their big, bushy leaves;
green peas are growing healthy and strong;
fields of colorful flowers are blooming along the side of the road;
the air is brisk and windy but not too cold.
It sure feels like the Autumn to me.
The white boy proxy
A recent story:
Over the years, Jack has been working very closely with this small technology company in the heart of the Silicon Valley. This company, like a lot of the other technology companies in the area, it is very diverse. Their employees in the Silicon Valley headquarter comprise some Indian programmers, a British CTO, who is Jack's main collaborator, and a lady Russian CEO.
This one week Jack was terribly sick with a cold, and needed very much to stay in bed to fight the nasty virus. However, on Wednesday the company had an interview with a U.S. government agency about some contract, and the CTO insisted that Jack go to their office no matter what.
Jack grumble about it: "I can't believe that I am the white boy proxy."
That night when he got home, Jack said the company also rented a receptionist, bought some ceramic coffee mugs and nice cookies for the occasion. And then they didn't even need him.
Over the years, Jack has been working very closely with this small technology company in the heart of the Silicon Valley. This company, like a lot of the other technology companies in the area, it is very diverse. Their employees in the Silicon Valley headquarter comprise some Indian programmers, a British CTO, who is Jack's main collaborator, and a lady Russian CEO.
This one week Jack was terribly sick with a cold, and needed very much to stay in bed to fight the nasty virus. However, on Wednesday the company had an interview with a U.S. government agency about some contract, and the CTO insisted that Jack go to their office no matter what.
Jack grumble about it: "I can't believe that I am the white boy proxy."
That night when he got home, Jack said the company also rented a receptionist, bought some ceramic coffee mugs and nice cookies for the occasion. And then they didn't even need him.
Little miss perfect
I believe some of us, especially city girls, were brought up to be little miss
perfects. Even for those who might have had some rebelliousness in us, all our
lives, everyone expected us to be just perfect.
We had to have our perfect daily schedules, wear clean and neat cloths, speak only polite words, eat the best food mom put on the table, be the most studious kids in the class. Undoubtedly we would become the most tender caring and nurturing people, who would carry the chaos and roughness of mankind on our shoulders.
When I was little, even whistling was out of lines. Good Chinese girls just don't whistle! Not to mention climbing trees or playing Kung Fu.
Over the years, we could have grown into very different people from those expectations, but secretly and in quiet moments, we still measure ourselves by those rules and standards, which, sadly, were carved into our deep consciousness.
But kindness and niceness are boring! Sooner or later, we got so fed up with all the invisible restrictions and pressure we could scream. Why do we have to be perfect when the rest of the world doesn't seem to give a damn?
So now, I whistle to get my dogs' attention. I kiteboard, and occasionally got swept off my feet doing so. I plant my tree deep and strongly on the yoga mat. And I cook the most delicious wholesome food. I'm who I want to be, not whom I'm expected to be, and I am happy.
I hope you are happy too, because we deserve it!
We had to have our perfect daily schedules, wear clean and neat cloths, speak only polite words, eat the best food mom put on the table, be the most studious kids in the class. Undoubtedly we would become the most tender caring and nurturing people, who would carry the chaos and roughness of mankind on our shoulders.
When I was little, even whistling was out of lines. Good Chinese girls just don't whistle! Not to mention climbing trees or playing Kung Fu.
Over the years, we could have grown into very different people from those expectations, but secretly and in quiet moments, we still measure ourselves by those rules and standards, which, sadly, were carved into our deep consciousness.
But kindness and niceness are boring! Sooner or later, we got so fed up with all the invisible restrictions and pressure we could scream. Why do we have to be perfect when the rest of the world doesn't seem to give a damn?
So now, I whistle to get my dogs' attention. I kiteboard, and occasionally got swept off my feet doing so. I plant my tree deep and strongly on the yoga mat. And I cook the most delicious wholesome food. I'm who I want to be, not whom I'm expected to be, and I am happy.
I hope you are happy too, because we deserve it!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
What do you think of my new thinkpad?
I asked Jack what he thought about my new thinkpad.
He looked at it for a moment and said: "It looks just like your last one. Just cleaner."
He looked at it for a moment and said: "It looks just like your last one. Just cleaner."
Revelation #2
Childhood story:
One time I went to swim in a public pool with my younger cousin during a summer break. The pool was quite packed, since the Cantonese summer is hot and humid, and we lived in a very populated city. The lifeguard teased me that my breaststroke was wrong and very inefficient. He said in order to be more efficient, I should close my fingers so that my palm could scope the water and help move the body forward.
First of all, breaststroke is the only swimming style I can ever do, without drinking too much water (freestyle and butterfly) or going zigzag head-first (backstroke). Ever since that childhood experience, I was very diligent about closing my fingers every time I swim, though I didn't feel any tiny bit of improvement.
During the last Summer Olympic Game, which closed not a month ago, I saw gold medalist Rebecca Soni's breaststroke, and guess what, her fingers were OPENED, and she swam like a dolphin!
I don't know why but I still remember that swimming pool incident like it happened yesterday.
One time I went to swim in a public pool with my younger cousin during a summer break. The pool was quite packed, since the Cantonese summer is hot and humid, and we lived in a very populated city. The lifeguard teased me that my breaststroke was wrong and very inefficient. He said in order to be more efficient, I should close my fingers so that my palm could scope the water and help move the body forward.
First of all, breaststroke is the only swimming style I can ever do, without drinking too much water (freestyle and butterfly) or going zigzag head-first (backstroke). Ever since that childhood experience, I was very diligent about closing my fingers every time I swim, though I didn't feel any tiny bit of improvement.
During the last Summer Olympic Game, which closed not a month ago, I saw gold medalist Rebecca Soni's breaststroke, and guess what, her fingers were OPENED, and she swam like a dolphin!
I don't know why but I still remember that swimming pool incident like it happened yesterday.
Homemade, dine-in or takeout?
This Labor Day long weekend, we ate out a lot. We went to dim sum, a BBQ with friends, went to restaurants, or have food for to go. Just because we could, and we didn't have much food in the fridge ... so I said.
After a few days of eating out, our taste bud felt stagnant, and we felt bored of it.
It's like homemade food gives us better Prana, because it's so fresh. When we cook, we pick good ingredients, clean them well, and put our energy into making the dish tasty. That makes the big difference.
Homemade food is the winner!
After a few days of eating out, our taste bud felt stagnant, and we felt bored of it.
It's like homemade food gives us better Prana, because it's so fresh. When we cook, we pick good ingredients, clean them well, and put our energy into making the dish tasty. That makes the big difference.
Homemade food is the winner!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
A sequence of events
Last night around 3 AM, my dog Amy was barking in the garage. After a few minutes of her barking, I went to check on her, because I didn't want to wake the neighbors. Amy and Jake came to the door to greet me, and I asked: "What's going on? Why are you barking?" Amy kept her head low, went back to her bed, lied down and looked at me. I closed the door and went back to bed.
Today I found that the garbage bin at the drive way got knocked over by wild animals.
9-10 Update:
We noticed that the once healthy home-grown potato plant was no longer green and bushy. Today we decided that maybe the potatoes were ready. I took a large grocery bag to collect the potatoes, and first I found a hole where the plant used to be. When I dug for the potatoes, I couldn't find any. How could it be? I told Jack to come and double check. He looked at the hole and pointed at the 2 marble-sized potatoes, and said: "There they are."
Today I found that the garbage bin at the drive way got knocked over by wild animals.
9-10 Update:
We noticed that the once healthy home-grown potato plant was no longer green and bushy. Today we decided that maybe the potatoes were ready. I took a large grocery bag to collect the potatoes, and first I found a hole where the plant used to be. When I dug for the potatoes, I couldn't find any. How could it be? I told Jack to come and double check. He looked at the hole and pointed at the 2 marble-sized potatoes, and said: "There they are."
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Revelation
I used to enjoy having revelations. Recently though, some of my revelations unfortunately reveal my ignorance. Especially when you consider someone being in some kind of misconception for over 30 years, now that is not funny.
Growing up in China, I used to be told, and was proud of our ancient culture, long history, technologies and literature achievements. After all, China is one of the four ancient cultures. We had our Gods and Traditional Chinese Medicine, with herbs that mothers put in soups to keep the family healthy.
Recently, I found that some Indian cultures and history have amazing parallels to the Chinese. I was told about the jaw-dropping hundred million Hindu Gods and the Ayurveda ways. I suspect that the Chinese got our religion from India, obviously: Buddhism came to China and the rest of Asia from India. In addition, the Hindi Gods are also similar to Roman Gods.
http://www.helium.com/items/1570778-similarities-between-the-hindu-and-greek-gods
So, who is the most ancient culture? :) Does it matter?
Growing up in China, I used to be told, and was proud of our ancient culture, long history, technologies and literature achievements. After all, China is one of the four ancient cultures. We had our Gods and Traditional Chinese Medicine, with herbs that mothers put in soups to keep the family healthy.
Recently, I found that some Indian cultures and history have amazing parallels to the Chinese. I was told about the jaw-dropping hundred million Hindu Gods and the Ayurveda ways. I suspect that the Chinese got our religion from India, obviously: Buddhism came to China and the rest of Asia from India. In addition, the Hindi Gods are also similar to Roman Gods.
http://www.helium.com/items/1570778-similarities-between-the-hindu-and-greek-gods
So, who is the most ancient culture? :) Does it matter?
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Silence
Since I came back from my Silence retreat in the blue ridge mountains of Boone NC, I has been enjoying driving in silence.
We get so used to "multi-tasking" that we can't stand doing one thing at a time. For instance, when we drive, we have to be listening to something - if NPR is on pledge drive, we switch to a music station; if the music station is on commercial, we switch to CD. When we read or run, we put on our headsets.
I used to think highly of anyone who listened to NPR, and became a loyal listener myself. But stop listening to NPR keeps me a peace of mind, and I believe ignorant is bliss. It helps to stop being anxious about current events and politics.
Bye bye NPR. Thanks for freeing up some space in my mind.
We get so used to "multi-tasking" that we can't stand doing one thing at a time. For instance, when we drive, we have to be listening to something - if NPR is on pledge drive, we switch to a music station; if the music station is on commercial, we switch to CD. When we read or run, we put on our headsets.
I used to think highly of anyone who listened to NPR, and became a loyal listener myself. But stop listening to NPR keeps me a peace of mind, and I believe ignorant is bliss. It helps to stop being anxious about current events and politics.
Bye bye NPR. Thanks for freeing up some space in my mind.
Life is good
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I slept in and did my morning Kriya right after morning coffee. I didn't do much house chores, and the the family went over the hill to the sunny peninsula. We hang out around the bay, where the dogs ran, swam and rolled in the sand to their hearts' content. We chatted with friends, then we ran our errands. We had a good home-made dinner, watched an old movie and the Big Bang Theory.
It's so nice to be able to spend time with the family on weekends!
Poppies
When my friend Anne came to stay with us in June, we planted lavenders, jasmines, and other colorful flowers in the yard. She also sowed poppy seeds and replanted the tiny ice plants. She said it's probably too late in the season for the poppy seeds to grow, and we didn't think too much about it. It was just a great way to spend time together and for me to learn about gardening. By the way, I am a hopeless black thumb.
Over the few months, most of the colorful flowers except for the lavenders got dig up by the resident rodents, but surprisingly, some poppy plants were peaking out of the soil! Everyday I walk pass the yard, I couldn't help but appreciate the simplicity of life and power of the ecosystem. You sow the seeds, provide some water, and the Sun will help the plants grow. Our ice plans are growing 3 times bigger too!
Life on earth is such a miracle.
This is the 100th post, yippee!
Work
Do you notice that when you work a lot, you can't stop working?
Do you notice when you are working on something interesting, you don't feel that it is work?
Do you notice when you are working on something interesting, you don't feel that it is work?
Already September?
Wow, it's September 1st today. I have mixed feelings about this September 1st. August seemed to be too long. Last month I was way too busy at work, like every other summer. Yet I managed to fit in a 4 week yoga workshop with my favorite Yoga teacher on every Monday, and a weekend Chakra yoga retreat at Stillheart.
On the other hand, there are only 4 months left for the year of 2012!
On the other hand, there are only 4 months left for the year of 2012!
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