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!

No-no teachers, weightwatchers, and money matters...

For some reason, thoughts about my teaching filled my mind this morning (noon, or afternoon to be exact) when I woke up. Students from my "dream classes" out of the many I've taught came to mind: one from my Cantonese class, one my community English class for TESOL practicum, one English grammar class at the ELC, and my current but former team's Chinese class. I already "miss" these students of my former team even though I'm still teaching them. It's a pleasant surprise to see them thrive, especially the ones who everyone including themselves thought were low achievers. The class leader who was so behind on everything before is much more relaxed now and shocked the class today by answering a rather complicated question. I felt like I was prompted to ask him and it was funny to see the other students' jaws drop when he answered it perfectly. I have such a good rapport with these wonderful classes that working with them is more fun than work. And the best compliment I get from these students would be "Time flies!" which means the class is enjoyable. I became very reflective of my teaching these days trying to look at teaching from the students' perspectives. I strive to avoid things I dislike about my own teachers. I've learned from the few great teachers I've had (my thesis chair, my English TA boss, my first Japanese, Spanish, and French teachers, and many of my dance teachers) that they never patronize me or talk in a condescending tone which unfortunately many other of my teachers or current fellow teachers do. I actually looked forward to the classes with teachers I liked. I hate it when teachers or people talk to me like I'm a dumb-dumb. I think that's the first no-no rule for me.
I'm pleased to report that I've lost six pounds over the past month and many might find it surprising that I do have a bit of a weight problem. The thing is that it does not quite show but on my face and the scale only. I used to only pay more attention to what I eat. But to lose weight is more a simple math problem. One needs to lose more than the intake. So my workout and swimming do pay off in spite of my occasional indulgence in soda and chips! And another thing is I sometimes park further from where I need to be on purpose. It's partly because I dislike parallel parking and it is a good excuse for me to walk a bit more. People think I am weird when they ride with me that I park so far away from the perfect parking spot. :)
The last thing or question I want to bring up is why things keep popping up every time I think I can have a little extra money or savings? Like car breakdown or some government documentation fees or insurance down payment and stuff. Just like today I got called by this stupid new insurance company that I thought I saved money on but was told they had to raise the premium because of miscalculations. So I had to call my old insurer to reinstate my policy but it requires a down payment. What a hassle (say the last word fast and you would know what word I REALLY meant to say ;p)! The lesson learned is NEVER jump into any commitment where money is involved!

Completely random...

Can't believe it's already April and I've started counting down towards my annual leave (which means trip home and travel and eat and play, woahoo!) These past couple weeks these following things either happened or somehow ended up in my thoughts...

~ I thought I would never really liked the weather here in Monterey as it was often gloomy, humid, and cold when I first arrived. But when it's warm and sunny and approaching summer, weather in Cali is REAL NICE! We often just decide to have class out in the sun and now I'm used to the humidity here as well.

~ I can't be happier about the place I live! It has actually been quite a hassle when they are doing the huge remodeling work around my building, and it's hard to even find a way in and out of my apartment while they are repaving the ground. It happened a couple times utilities were interrupted (sorry Victor about the water the day you were here!) but Diane told me they would give me a $300 credit for my rent that I was quite happy. And then a few days later they even decided to give me a month of rent free! Quite a few people told me I've been paying a little too much for my rent but I absolutely love my place with its excellent location and facilities. Despite the "inconvenience" I pretty much got my air ticket home paid for without doing anything and the ground work didn't really affect me that much since I'm out of the house most of the time during the day. So people, it's a place you LIVE and you gotta love it first and it will pay back! :)

~ This probably sound pretty lame but I thought I'd post it here anyways. The website HumanForSale has been up quite a while but I stumbled across it again and I figured my current price is $1,625,038. The sad thing is I'm still cheaper than most houses in this area... but the good news is that I'm still "smarter" than 89.67% of all people according to the Am I Dumb web site... no worries, I'm not taking these seriously, um, maybe I'll change my mind when I'm worth more...

~ I have put up the counter and the stats for this page and I found it very intriguing. I always wonder who have been visiting my site (or stalking me, whatever you may call it), I don't mean to spy on people but it is quite fun to guess who those people are (you!) At least I know when they come visit and where they are from. Feel free to leave me a word or two!

~ I came across this definition of "unconditional love": you love someone no matter what and the other person does not have to love you back. It's simple and straightforward enough but it just dawned on me now. If Christ has unconditional love for everyone and we are commanded to emulate Him, I doubt if I have achieved 1% of what we are required to do... sigh...

~ At last, more pictures I (or others) took for fun in the past month...
Lake Tahoe is heaven-like...

A 100-year old Rolls Royce!!!

Another old car (with an old man) in the National Automobile Museum in Reno, NV

Everything in America has to be ranked #1 somehow...

Upon entering the Valley of Death...

I was very close to the lowest point in America!