6 months!

I just realized I've hit my 6-month mark of living in Monterey and working at the DLI. I have not much to complain and I'm loving my job, especially my students. They are such fun and awesome people.

It's already more than a month into Chinese new year but I came across this list of tips for a Powerful Chinese New Year that I really like. It's a great reminder that I need to take better care of myself (esp. before my trip home!!!)

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.
3. Buy a TIVO, tape your late night shows, and get more sleep. (Or use BT, Worthy, right?)
4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement: My purpose is to___________ today.
5. Live with the 3 E's: Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy.
6. Watch more movies, play more games, and read more books than you did in 2006. (I like the idea!!!)
7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, tai chi, qigong, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
8. Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
9. Dream more while you are awake. (I thought I have been doing that too much...)
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less foods that are manufactured in plants.
11. Drink green tea and plenty of water and eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds, and walnuts.
12. Try to make at least 3 people smile each day.
13. Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk, and let new and flowing energy into your life. (No wonder I keep feeling my energy is low... it has been sucked by all the trash in my house!)
14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts, or things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment.
15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. (I do like algebra though...)
16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card. (The reality is I have all three meals with more than one maxed out charge card...)
17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.
18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. (Really? Are you serious?)
21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special. (Where can I find fancy lingerie for me? I'm a newbie to this area...)
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Forgive everyone everything.
28. What other people think of you is none of your business.
29. Time heals almost everything. Give time time. (Ok, I'll find time to give time time...)
30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch. (I don't want my friends touch me when I'm sick though...)
32. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.
33. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
34. The best is yet to come.
35. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
36. Do the right thing.
37. Call your mother and father often. (Or have them call you often in my case...)
38. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished____________.
39. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
40. Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. (This one is for Amy, ha!)

Weekends

It's been a fun couple of weeks and I can't believe I survived a more than 2000 mile drive for the past couple of weekends. Let's see...
With Joanne upon (re)entering Chinatown

Live lobster! Look at Joanne's face!

Dead now but delicious!

Gei Gei and Joanne came down to San Francisco to handle some personal business and visited me by the way and they became my first official visitors here in Monterey!!!So I drove up to San Francisco to pick them up. It was pretty late at night when I got there because of bad traffic but we managed to have a nice but pricey dinner in Chinatown.

17-mile Drive in Pebble Beach... breathtaking view!

I love this restaurant... Bahama Billy's in Carmel

Then it was my turn to return to Provo last weekend to run my own errands and we (re)visited Aspen Grove and Sundance...
Just goofing around on the mountains...

I got my own lift in Sundance!

Avriel scared the crap out of me (pun intended!) when he found this and threw it on the floor!

Ok, we played a little fear factor there and obviously I was the winner!

This is going to be weird... mind you...

I got tagged by Matt

The rules of the game:

1. Find the nearest book to you.
2. Name the book and author.
3. Turn to page 123.
4. Go to the fifth sentence on the page.
5. Copy out the next 3 sentences and post to your blog.
6. Tag three other people.

Book: Chinese Basic Program Unit 1
Author: Some Chinese speakers
Page 123, fifth sentence:
张：他的电话号码是多少？
刘：他的电话号码是2342138。
张：你们连长呢？
刘：我们连长是孔福春同志。他的电话号码是5075891.

Yes, I am at work, that's why. I tag Dixon, Nathan, and Xinyi.

I thought it was going to be an ordinary fun day of eating and shopping with friends but it turned out to be rather adventurous and eventful. Sophia, Xinyi, Xiao Tang (Little Soup) and I first took a walk along the coast to Pacific Grove's Lovers' Point (too bad I'm not with my lover) and the weather is finally back to gorgeous yesterday. There were people scuba diving and I wonder when I'll be able to do that again. I still have my gears though.

Gorgeous scene and the gorgeous...

The DLI BYU gang: Xinyi, Sophia, and yours truly

I'm not a picky eater but I'm so tired of my own "cooking" that I was excited to finally enjoy some real Chinese food in Milpitas. We went Chinese grocery shopping and loaded the trunk of my car like we were smuggling food from China! On our way home I got a flat tire on my car somewhere on highway 101. I almost panicked but called my insurance company and relieved to find out the expense can be reimbursed and Ms. Sophia happened to have AAA membership (I cancelled mine, stupid me!) that we got free roadside service! Lucky me!

After all these I ended up with a cold now. What happened to the flu shot I took?