Go with the flow...

Wanted to write but have been either preoccupied with things or distracted by stuff at home and at work. So these are some of the happenings and random thoughts since my last post...

~I have been quite frustrated lately at work for things I have little or no control of. My boss noticed that and gave me a "heart-to-heart" talk which kind of helped. There are even things I do not agree with her but I really appreciate her taking the initiative for such a move. At least she has been honest with me and very vocal about what is on her mind. I should not have let the negativity creep into my work and should have found a better way to channel my frustrations. Now as I look back why should we even sweat these seemingly small things, it is not like these are do-or-die situations. Sometimes we just need to step back and chill a bit. And I still remember a great Sister Wooley said on my mission that "the absence of stress is death" that we actually need to learn how to deal with it. And I think there is no "perfect" job in this world and that is why we are hired to solve problems and theoretically make the world better. If you want to have everything goes your way, be your own boss. But even that is not quite true just by looking at how tough it is my dad has been working...

~I love being a student. Back in school I even wondered what the point of going to join the work force after graduation is. Now I absolutely enjoy the stress-free hours after work without worrying homework, papers, or tests. Now I often dread to go to my German class after work because I am exhausted by late afternoon. But once class has started I would be totally into everything and thoroughly enjoy learning in the classroom. One great thing about going to college in America is that students are from all over and with very diverse background. We have a couple grandpas, a girl who was born in Germany, an MLI from the Russian school sitting next to me, and classmates from Turkey, Peru, Mexico, and Austria. And let alone our outstanding teacher that I feel like learning more about teaching skills from her as opposed to the subject matter per se. And I have done lots of reflection on being a good (language) learner/student as well. Ausgezeichnet!

~On the news: the protests and turmoil in Tibet is another letdown for me about China. It is not the violence or whatever issue the people are fighting that gets on my nerves but the way the government and the "official media" handle the case which once again to me is pathetic. I don't think labeling the protesters as "terrorists" with such and such conspiracy is news that is reliable. The mainland Chinese official media's tone of "all is well" and the mentality of sweeping everything under the rug have never changed. That is the problem of a country run by one single political party which holds all power and is so afraid of any force that would seize any part of it from them. All they care is "face" and put on a "good show" to the world, e.g. the Olympics. Such mentality also exists among many of my colleagues who are mostly from the mainland as it is evident from some of the ridiculous "professional presentations" I was presented with in the past few weeks. I regret being forced to join in the applause afterwards as everybody did so. Going back to the Olympics, as there have been talks on boycotting the Games, I probably would be an advocate myself if things do not improve or get worse. Having been involved in certain Beijing Olympics related projects myself, now I am not thrilled at all about it as there are more importants things we should be dealing with in the country first. The other day I was presenting the "Fuwa" - the mascots for the Beijing Games to the students, my students burst out laughing... at me because of my sarcasm and cynicism showed in my tones and "fake laughs". I know, I have changed quite a bit as a person.

~Just saw a report on sleep deprivation on 60 minutes. On top of the well-known facts of increased chance of accidents on the road and decrease of productivity and memory, it has been linked with obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. Sleeping has been an issue for me for a looooong time and I guess I'd better hit the sack right away now!