Every weekend, I spend part of the morning tidy up the house - doing dishes and laundry, sorting mails. Usually that's all I got to do (if I'm lucky) before I got totally bored and had to get out of the house for some fresh air. I often think to myself: thank God for dish washers, washing machines and dryers. I can't imagine living without these appliances.
On an interview with Jimmy Fallon last week, Bill and Melinda Gates were being asked: "If you have a super power, what would it be?" I really like Melinda's answer. She said: "That would be time." Then she explained, women world wide spend 4 to 6 hours everyday to take care of the household chores and their family in addition to their normal full time job. She wished there was a way to give back that time to women.
To me, that's so true. Household chores are endless. I admit I'm not a good house maker in any stretch of the imagination, but I was brought up learning all the right things to be one. I wish to be better at it, but there is simply not enough time, and it is quite boring. So my house is always a working progress, and I'm not apologetic about it, because sometimes I prefer to blog, do yoga, read some books or simply relax!
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Road Trip! Let's all go!
A road trip is always a good idea, even in the winter. I don't do this a lot, but whenever I take road trips, I see so many new things and my imagination just goes wild and I love it. It makes me appreciate life and nature so much! Of course the best thing is when I'm the passenger, not the driver.
Our 2015 Christmas road trip to Colorado was an eye opener to me in many different ways. It was my first cross country road trip in the winter. From Half Moon Bay, we took the northern route into Reno, Nevada, then I-80 E through Utah, Wyoming, then headed south into Colorado.
It was the first time I experienced such cold temperature for such a long time - one week! I mean, this is the real deal. Growing up in the southern city of Guangzhou, China, then in San Francisco, I am used to warm and mild temperatures all my life, so being in 0 degrees and below and around snow for such a long time was kind of a shock to me. I remember stopping at a freeway rest stop around Wyoming - in the middle of nowhere, I might add - the wind chill must have been -14 or so, and I was so cold even when I was all bundled up! Then, I get to appreciate the true values of good winter hat, gloves, boots and scarves. I was amazed that some men and women were walking around with t-shirts and light clothing. What, are they made of steel or something?
We took the dogs across country just so we have some family time, but it didn't take long for us to realize the dogs didn't really like it. They didn't like to be sitting at the back of an SUV for such a long time, and only having a few times out of the car to do their business. Also, the water they drank was frozen half of the time! They did enjoy spending time with us at night in the hotel room though. I remember the first night, Jake (our male golden) didn't really know what to make of it, and he got so excited. He was moving around the room a lot, and coming to lick us. As to us, it was really a chore to have to put all the warm cloths on before taking the dogs out of the hotel room for them to do their business. I mean, at home, all we need is to get out of the door with our pajamas and at most a robe, since the temperature is mild and we have a lot of privacy! Since we drove two and a half days one way to our destination, making sure we had enough water for the dogs for the long drive was important, but it wasn't impossible. It was the first time for Jake to be in snow, and he was SO cute in it!
From the yuppy filled western coastal town to the heartland of the America, it really put the phrases like "open space" and "middle of nowhere" into perspective for me. I mean, we would drive hundreds of miles on I-80 without seeing any town along the way! All we saw was flat land with buttes and plateaus here and there, and some wind farms. It was exciting to pass the state lines, continental divides and the Bonneville Salt Flats!
I had technologies such as my iPhone and iPad, and various travel apps at my fingertip, but a good old atlas took us a long way! I was so happy to have learned how to read the map! I could figure out where the mountain passes were, which we could encountered heavy storms, especially around Reno area. Using iPhone map app, I should be able to find out where the next rest area was, but it really could not accurately show the needed information, because most of the rest stops were not on the map! We just had to have faith to trust that there was always some kind of rest stop every 50-100 miles or so, and you better get whatever you need when you got to one!
I developed a great respect for truck drivers. Driving for 8 to 10 hours a day a few days in a row is tiring! At the end of the day, my body got so stiff! We observed that some trucks have this small cabin attached at the back of the cockpit or above it, where drivers can sleep in. Can you imagine this kind of life where you are driving on the road so much for a living? To me, truck drivers are the modern day nomads!
The conclusion? Maybe we should try taking the train and leave the dogs home.
Our 2015 Christmas road trip to Colorado was an eye opener to me in many different ways. It was my first cross country road trip in the winter. From Half Moon Bay, we took the northern route into Reno, Nevada, then I-80 E through Utah, Wyoming, then headed south into Colorado.
It was the first time I experienced such cold temperature for such a long time - one week! I mean, this is the real deal. Growing up in the southern city of Guangzhou, China, then in San Francisco, I am used to warm and mild temperatures all my life, so being in 0 degrees and below and around snow for such a long time was kind of a shock to me. I remember stopping at a freeway rest stop around Wyoming - in the middle of nowhere, I might add - the wind chill must have been -14 or so, and I was so cold even when I was all bundled up! Then, I get to appreciate the true values of good winter hat, gloves, boots and scarves. I was amazed that some men and women were walking around with t-shirts and light clothing. What, are they made of steel or something?
We took the dogs across country just so we have some family time, but it didn't take long for us to realize the dogs didn't really like it. They didn't like to be sitting at the back of an SUV for such a long time, and only having a few times out of the car to do their business. Also, the water they drank was frozen half of the time! They did enjoy spending time with us at night in the hotel room though. I remember the first night, Jake (our male golden) didn't really know what to make of it, and he got so excited. He was moving around the room a lot, and coming to lick us. As to us, it was really a chore to have to put all the warm cloths on before taking the dogs out of the hotel room for them to do their business. I mean, at home, all we need is to get out of the door with our pajamas and at most a robe, since the temperature is mild and we have a lot of privacy! Since we drove two and a half days one way to our destination, making sure we had enough water for the dogs for the long drive was important, but it wasn't impossible. It was the first time for Jake to be in snow, and he was SO cute in it!
From the yuppy filled western coastal town to the heartland of the America, it really put the phrases like "open space" and "middle of nowhere" into perspective for me. I mean, we would drive hundreds of miles on I-80 without seeing any town along the way! All we saw was flat land with buttes and plateaus here and there, and some wind farms. It was exciting to pass the state lines, continental divides and the Bonneville Salt Flats!
I had technologies such as my iPhone and iPad, and various travel apps at my fingertip, but a good old atlas took us a long way! I was so happy to have learned how to read the map! I could figure out where the mountain passes were, which we could encountered heavy storms, especially around Reno area. Using iPhone map app, I should be able to find out where the next rest area was, but it really could not accurately show the needed information, because most of the rest stops were not on the map! We just had to have faith to trust that there was always some kind of rest stop every 50-100 miles or so, and you better get whatever you need when you got to one!
I developed a great respect for truck drivers. Driving for 8 to 10 hours a day a few days in a row is tiring! At the end of the day, my body got so stiff! We observed that some trucks have this small cabin attached at the back of the cockpit or above it, where drivers can sleep in. Can you imagine this kind of life where you are driving on the road so much for a living? To me, truck drivers are the modern day nomads!
The conclusion? Maybe we should try taking the train and leave the dogs home.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Ying's answers to (almost) everything
Q: I have a headache.
Y: Drink some water or hot tea and rest.
Q: I have back pain.
Y: Stretch.
Q: I am feeling fatigue.
Y: Rest.
Q: I'm tired.
Y: Take a break and do some stretching.
Q: I have a sore throat.
Y: drink some hot water.
They work, they are free and don't take much time.
Y: Drink some water or hot tea and rest.
Q: I have back pain.
Y: Stretch.
Q: I am feeling fatigue.
Y: Rest.
Q: I'm tired.
Y: Take a break and do some stretching.
Q: I have a sore throat.
Y: drink some hot water.
They work, they are free and don't take much time.
Friday, January 8, 2016
Judge
"Don't judge a book by its cover." To extend that, I would say: "Don't judge a culture by one book."
Jack just finished reading one of the four great ancient Chinese novels, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." It's a historic novel about the Three Kingdoms in the Chinese history, around AD 220 - 280. The book was a novel written based on historical characters and some legendary stories.
I knew the story since childhood from our noon time storytelling on the radio. The four great novels are, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," "The Dream of the Red Chamber," "Journey to the West," and "Water Margin."
According to Jack, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was poorly translated (which is really a shame), and the characters' names were too hard to remember, which make reading and enjoying it difficult. Think "War and Peace," with people's names directly translated from Chinese, which totally don't make sense in English, for example: Cao, Cao. This is the book that's like Lord of the Rings for fantasy novels in English literature.
From time to time, I like to ask Jack what he thought of the book out of curiosity. Here are some of his other impressions:
This week Jack started reading "The Dream of the Red Chamber," which was written by a different author in a different era, but was translated by the same person. I asked what he thought of the book so far, and he said: "It's so totally different from the other book, this one is very sensual, and it's all about feelings and emotions." That's so true, there is so much beauty and romance in this book, and it will certainly provide a different dimension to the Chinese literature and culture.
Well, we all know it's not good to judge, but none-judging is also very hard to do. So I would say, let judging happens, be conscious of it, and then let it go. Grow from each and every (judging) experience.
Jack just finished reading one of the four great ancient Chinese novels, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." It's a historic novel about the Three Kingdoms in the Chinese history, around AD 220 - 280. The book was a novel written based on historical characters and some legendary stories.
I knew the story since childhood from our noon time storytelling on the radio. The four great novels are, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," "The Dream of the Red Chamber," "Journey to the West," and "Water Margin."
According to Jack, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was poorly translated (which is really a shame), and the characters' names were too hard to remember, which make reading and enjoying it difficult. Think "War and Peace," with people's names directly translated from Chinese, which totally don't make sense in English, for example: Cao, Cao. This is the book that's like Lord of the Rings for fantasy novels in English literature.
From time to time, I like to ask Jack what he thought of the book out of curiosity. Here are some of his other impressions:
- There are lots of detail descriptions of weapons.
- People were very superstitious, for example, if there was a fallen tree close to camp, it would be a bad omen for battle.
- The book was all about battles, men and strategies. There was no female characters in the story, so no romance. I guess, it's kind of a book about "bromance."
- Now he knows the legendary Chinese characters such as Guan Yu, the exemplar Chinese warrior, who is also treated like a God of protection in Chinese culture (sort of like Captain America). Kong Ming, who is the exemplar and the best war strategist ever (in history, present time and in the future, that is). Both of them worked for the Kingdom of Wei, for the Liu camp.
- Some punishments were very cruel. If the king was angry with someone who worked for him, he would not only kill that person, but also his family and perhaps extended family. Arhhh!
- At war if they killed a warrior that they admired, they would give him an honorable burial to show respect.
This week Jack started reading "The Dream of the Red Chamber," which was written by a different author in a different era, but was translated by the same person. I asked what he thought of the book so far, and he said: "It's so totally different from the other book, this one is very sensual, and it's all about feelings and emotions." That's so true, there is so much beauty and romance in this book, and it will certainly provide a different dimension to the Chinese literature and culture.
Well, we all know it's not good to judge, but none-judging is also very hard to do. So I would say, let judging happens, be conscious of it, and then let it go. Grow from each and every (judging) experience.
Friday, January 1, 2016
Packing list
Jack and I just came back from a long road trip with the dogs, from San Francisco Bay Area, to Denver Colorado. I've never driven in the winter, snowy conditions, so I've been concerned about the safety of the trip.
There were not much planning could be done in terms of where to stay, and which route to take, because all of that really depended on how the weather would be around the time. A couple of days before the trip, I tried to do more planning, so I pulled out my packing list -
1. Snacks
2. Blankets
There were not much planning could be done in terms of where to stay, and which route to take, because all of that really depended on how the weather would be around the time. A couple of days before the trip, I tried to do more planning, so I pulled out my packing list -
1. Snacks
2. Blankets
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Practice, practice, practice
"How do you get to Carnegie Hall?"
"Practice, practice, practice."
I used to only think of "practice" in the context of playing musical instruments, because of this quote. From practice, you are able to master the skills in playing the musical instrument, so that you are good enough to perform in such prestigious places as the Carnegie Hall.
Recently I realized that "practice makes perfect" is not only limit to playing musical instruments. It can be applied to anything you do, sports, drawing, and any of your skilled crafts, such as programming, writing or design. Whatever it is, the more you do it - practice - you get better at doing it.
Not everyone is born with certain talent like Mozart. The rest of us are not totally hopeless, we just have to put our heart into what we are doing, and keep practicing to get better at our craft. Just don't give up, and keep trying.
With that said, I remember in my earlier years, I used to think the sky was the limit. I thought I could do anything and be successful in everything I tried. Nowadays the sky is getting lower and lower, maybe because I am able to understand and accept my own limitations.
"Practice, practice, practice."
I used to only think of "practice" in the context of playing musical instruments, because of this quote. From practice, you are able to master the skills in playing the musical instrument, so that you are good enough to perform in such prestigious places as the Carnegie Hall.
Recently I realized that "practice makes perfect" is not only limit to playing musical instruments. It can be applied to anything you do, sports, drawing, and any of your skilled crafts, such as programming, writing or design. Whatever it is, the more you do it - practice - you get better at doing it.
Not everyone is born with certain talent like Mozart. The rest of us are not totally hopeless, we just have to put our heart into what we are doing, and keep practicing to get better at our craft. Just don't give up, and keep trying.
With that said, I remember in my earlier years, I used to think the sky was the limit. I thought I could do anything and be successful in everything I tried. Nowadays the sky is getting lower and lower, maybe because I am able to understand and accept my own limitations.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Playlists
Sometimes I marvel how many gadgets the iPhone has single handedly replaced. GPS, camera, MP3 player, notepad, calendar, alarm clock, and the list goes on and on with the apps on the App Store. In addition to that, we can now play our music or watch videos, how cool is that?
Today I played one of my playlists while making dinner, and I realized how much I enjoyed it. For any given album, I only have 2 or 3 favorite songs, so the ability to create my own playlist with all my favorite songs and play them back to back is just awesome. Especially with the shuffling option, I never know what's going to come next, and am always pleasantly surprised.
In this playlist, I have a big variety of songs. Don McClean, Billy Joel, Lady Gaga, Dido, Train, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Michael Bublé ...
Dinner was delicious, we had Brussels sprouts with black bean garlic sauce and fried rice.
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