Travel Notes

Bathrooms

Bathrooms in Beijing were infamous for their lack of cleanliness.  The government must have done something to improve them because they have rating systems now.  The bathroom in the Forbidden City were rated 4 stars by the authorities and they were ok.  You have to bring your own toilet paper and it was useable.  I looked for 5 star toilets while visiting but didn’t find any.

When I used the restroom at the base of the Great Wall, an American girl came in and shouted to her friend or translator, “what a nice surprise, they have toilet seats!”  A lot of the Asian bathrooms have squatting toilets only and this girl was overjoyed to find a toilet that have seats at the base of the Great Wall.  The conversation went on about how great it is to have seat, how surprising it is to find the option…  I found it so interesting because I never thought toilet cleanliness and options can spark long conversations or a blog post…

Food

(Pee meet ball - didn't try them for good reasons)

Ok, maybe writing about food right after toilet options is not sanitary or appetizing but I have to say that food on this trip has been delicious, amazing, and thought provoking!  In Beijing, we had cheap, quality, and very tasty Chinese cuisines.  Sichuan fusion style food from “ Chao Jiang-Nan” (on the stock exchange), the famous Peking duck from “Chuan Ju De” (government owned on the stock exchange), cuisines from hu-tongs (small streets) were all well cooked and reasonably priced.  Singapore’s black pepper crab from the famous Long Beach and Jumbo restaurants were both finger-licking good.  Not to mention the variety of food that is accessible everywhere you go in Singapore… Japanese noodle shop, Chinese bao (bun) specialties, and Indian street food… And then, there’s Thailand – the spices and herbs that are infused in every dish that we ordered.  On the beach of Thailand, we got to enjoy every bite of food with the smell of the ocean and sound of the sea…  I am just saying, all this weight gain is the fault of this amazing culinary experience, not my doing…

Books

I enjoy reading books when I am on vacation.  The books that are usually too serious to pick-up during hectic work weeks are very enjoyable on a vacation…  I must have packed about 10-15 books for this trip knowing that I will have plenty of time to relax and just read.  Afternoons with nothing to do, nowhere to get to, no schedule to follow are the best ones to enjoy reading… I will have a lot of those days still ahead of me…  Three books read and some ten more to go maybe?  Just finished my first coconut of the day and I am ready to start another book… 

Great Wall

It took about an hour and half, maybe longer, to get to Mutianyu from our hotel in Beijing. Mutianyu is part of the Great Wall of China that is within driving distance from Beijing that has the least number of tourists.

The gondola in front of ours sped up and dipped to hold on to the tracks above – it was a little intimidating but we hopped on our cart. I waited for the increase in speed and the dip and when it happened, it was relief. The gondola went straight up the mountainside with decisive speed, our guide tried to take our picture but I was afraid shifting the weight in the middle of this climb would cause a disaster. We did it anyway…

The top of the mountain was an amazing site. The mountains were steep, the terrain was rough, the wind was crisp, the sky was blue, the clouds were puffy, and the Great Wall seemed endless… You can’t help but be awed, intimidated, and overwhelmed by the sight of the Great Wall sitting on top of the steep mountains and rough terrain. As you stand on the guard tower of the Wall, you can see so far away that no enemy will ever be able to sneak up on you or attack you in stealth. As you walked along the Wall, the loneliness of the soldiers is almost palatable. And as you looked at the engineering details of the Wall, you can’t help but be proud and sad of being part of the human race that possess so much ingenuity and at the same time so much insecurity…

Ironically, the Manchus were let in by one of the generals patrolling the border because he was not happy with the government under which he served… After general Wu opened the gate to the Manchus, the Qing Dynasty was established after the Manchus seized Beijing. Was the construction of the Wall worth it for those from the Ming Dynasty? Maybe, maybe not. However, without the construction and preservation of those before us, we’ll surely not have such amazing architecture to marvel or to admire.

Summer Palace

The second day in Beijing, we visited Gong Wang Fu and the Summer Palace.

Gong Wang Fu was built in the Qing Dynasty by He-Shen, the most corrupt official in Chinese history.  The Mansion was later confiscated by Jiaqing Emperor, the successor of Qianlong Emperor under who He-Shen had served.  The Mansion is famous for its beautiful gardens, lavish decor, and usage of materials that rivaled that of the Forbidden City.  And of course, this was a punishable offense back in that time. He-Shen with his other crimes, was put to death by the Jiaqing Emperor.  It was said that He-Shen’s fortune at the time of his death totaled 15 times that of the Qing Dynasty annual budget.  The current City of Bell scandal – it is not even close…  Unfortunately, Gong Wang Fu does not have the English instructions like the Forbidden City or the Summer Palace but this is definitely a well-preserved Chinese style mansion that is worth the visit.
And then there’s the Summer Palace…  I didn’t get the chance to visit the Summer Palace when I was last in Beijing 20 years ago.  The Summer Palace was also commissioned in the Qing Dynasty and the two square kilometer Kunming Lake was entirely man made.  The dirt that came out of the “lake” was then piled together to make the Longevity Mountain, which stands about 60 meters high…  The Palace landscape, architecture, paintings of the hallways and stairs, and the amazing view from top of the Longevity Mountain… it must be nice to be the Emperor.

As we continued our walk through the Summer Palace in our winter jackets, I imaged being the Empress strolling through the gardens that are covered with yellow autumn leaves.  The marble boat parked by the bank of the lake, the red colored boat docks, the arched marble stone bridges all for my personal enjoyment...  And the crowd, they might as well be my entourage…  As the sun starts to set, the air gradually turned sharper, the crowd thinned.  If I was the Empress, this will not just be my Summer Palace, I will come here to enjoy the crisp air and the solitude of the Palace in the fall… 

When you are ready to be an Emperor or Empress for a day, visit the Summer Palace…

Forbidden City

The flight to Beijing from Bangkok was unbearable according to mom and Jim.  I was too busy chatting up the Thais sitting next to me to notice the smoke that lingered in the seat covers, the tight seating arrangements, or the poor food and in-flight service on our flight.  We arrived Beijing at 1 or 2 in the morning and didn’t get to bed until almost 3 am…

That same morning, I woke up to the Beijing City view.  Beijing from the 41^st floor of our hotel was vast, developed, spread-out, metropolitan, and beautiful.  The blue sky, white clouds, and clear and almost breathable City air was a stark contrast from what I had been hearing…  I admired Beijing just from taking in the City view from our room.

The Forbidden City or the Palace Museum was our first stop after our long trip.  Our not-so-good 200RMB English tour guide that we hired right outside of the Palace (approximately $30) walked us through with some brief description of the one third of the Palace that’s open to public.  The Forbidden City was built in the 1400s by the Ming Dynasty, which was followed by numerous rebuilds after multiple fires and the Cultural Revolution.  The Palace is approximately 730,000 square meters with 9,000 plus living quarters which housed the Emperor, Empress, Concubines, Eunuchs, Maid-of-honors (concubine-to-be) and service staff.  The guide told us that if a baby was born and was allowed to change one living quarter a day, by the time the baby completes sleeping in all the rooms in the Forbidden City, the baby will be almost a grown 27-year old adult.  People that came into the Forbidden City to serve the Emperor were not allowed to leave the City without permission.  As a matter of fact, most of them ended up dying in the Forbidden City without ever stepping foot outside of the Palace once they had entered.

The walk from the North of the Palace to the South with frequent stops and wandering into various exhibits took us about four hours.  The rich history, imperial architecture, strictly-followed rites and ceremonies, countless number of symbols and customs, and the ‘recently’ excavated treasuries were impossible to take-in with one walking tour…

The Forbidden City is enormous, mysterious, and intriguing not just because of the physical buildings and treasures that are presented in the center of Beijing City, but its history during the rule of each of the Emperors under their rein.  What prompted the worship and the ruling of one man that comes with such a lavish and exaggerated lifestyle and power?  Was it better to live outside with the City with the savages of real life or was it more comfortable living within the confines of the Forbidden City with a possible luxurious life for generations?  I wondered while walking under the yellow golden roofs while snapping pictures…  Why? How? When? Who? And what happened?  I wish I knew more about Chinese history…

We were herded out, in large numbers, at the South end of the Palace by the security police.  On the South entrance of the Palace hangs a large Mao picture with two Chinese sentences to the sides “Long live the People’s Republic of China” and “Long Live the Great Unity of the World's Citizens”.  The twelve-lane Chang-an Avenue (not counting the bike lane on each side) that divided the Tiananmen and Tiananmen Square was already filled with traffic…  It took another 30 minutes walk for us to hail a willing cab to take us back to our hotel.   Despite the noise of the horn, the sea of people and cars, and the occasional cussing of the taxi driver, the grand and peaceful Forbidden City sits unfazed in the center of the modern and buzzing Beijing. 

Human Whisperer?

I love Cesar Millan's show, Dog Whisperer.  I watch this show tirelessly even though we don't own a dog. Cesar always re-trains the owners to treat their dogs as dogs instead of as their children or family members and encourages owners to provide discipline before affection.  His principle is "species, breed, then name", meaning treating the pet as a species (dog) first, then its breed (Dalmatian), and then its name (Smokey).  Understanding that by treating Smokey as Smokey first, you inevitably allow and tolerate unwanted behavior and miss out on the opportunity to fulfill on the needs of the dog such as exercising.  This is often where the behavioral problem of the pet originates.  By treating Smokey as a dog and applying appropriate discipline, not only will the owner have less trouble handling the dog, Smokey will become calmer and happier. 

Although Smokey's happiness is hard to measure or judge, the owners usually rave about the improvement of their pets' behavior after applying Cesar's principle.  The principle is so simple and effective that it amazes me every time that I watch his show.  It is clear that by romanticizing our pets as children or family members, it harms the very relationship that we desire.  Other than with our pets, our efforts to enjoy great relationships with other human beings also seems to be sabotaged by the romantic notion of "name" first, "breed" second, and then "species" last.

In our day-to-day relationships, are we honoring people as people or are we interacting with others as their race, gender, education, political affiliation, or "breed"?  With the people whom we love so dearly and sometimes believe that we "own", are we treating them as people or are we relating to them as "husband and wife", "colleagues", and "best-friend"?  What are the consequences to our relationships by treating those that we care and love as "roles", "responsibilities", and "characters" rather than just another human being?  The unfulfilled expectations of a wife or husband only arise when there are expectations of the role of husbands and wives instead of a human being to the other.  An unappreciative daughter can only exist when the standard of an appreciative daughter gets established by demanding parents.  Demanding parents are suffocating when their affection comes across not just as love from other human beings.  Racism, sexism, homophobia, wars and a slew of human problems can probably be eradicated if we just apply Cesar's dog training principle to people: Treating people as people first.  Who's ready to be a human whisperer?

Risky Business

If you had a crystal ball and you only get a peak at one moment in your future, what would you like to see?  Do you want to know who you'll be married to? Do you want to know what kind of retirement you'll get to have? Do you want to see what your kids would be like as adults? Do you want to know if long-term investment will pay off?  Do you want to know who will be at your funeral?  Do you want to see if you'll live a long healthy life?  Looking at a snapshot of your future will definitely provide more certainty and a lot of people will probably trade or pay a handsome price to get a glimpse of what is to come, right?

Life is volatile, risky, and unpredictable.  We get butterflies when we contemplate switching jobs for a higher pay but with a different boss, we suffer when we choose between the person that loves us and the person that we love, and we fight with our partners trying to figure out what's best for our children.  Life is full of uncertainties but our tendencies to seek out certainties in life, makes life even more mysterious.

What if instead of a peak of the crystal ball, a session with the psychic, or a ride on the time machine, you actually know your future?  You know that you should study music instead of engineering, you'll meet the love of your life at age 30 even though you thought John was the one for a split second.  You will own your own business at age 40 and you'll have 3 children and have a beautiful house in Florida.  Before you die, you will have 10 grandchildren and you'll be surrounded by people that you love and treasure.  Or, forget about school and retirement, life will end abruptly for you so you better start enjoying it now! 

If you know your future, will it take the fun out of living?  Isn't life meant to be uncertain so that we get to experience, feel, and think in ways that we wouldn't be able to if we had all the answers?  Life is risky business! Next time, if you get a bad hand dealt to you, remember that we earthlings are simply here to expand our capacities otherwise we'd all come equipped with a crystal ball.  Don't you think?

Ignorance is bliss?

Most of the time when we say "ignorance is bliss", we don't really think not knowing something is good, we just mean that people that don't know or are not interested in knowing maybe exempt from the frustration or consequence of knowing.  Therefore, it's not that being ignorant translates into happiness or contentment, but it just avoids the possibility of unhappiness...  But is it true that ignorance is bliss? Does knowledge bring us the never ending pursuit of better and more at the expense of our happiness? Or does knowledge simply expand the range of the happiness scale?

Before we moved to California, I had tried wine but didn't know much about it.  I have had red and white wine from bottles, glasses, and boxes, but none of that made a difference to me.  Wines were just another type of alcoholic beverage and as long as that's the case, they all tasted pretty good to me.  After 10 years of living in California, it's hard not to have gone to wine tasting events, listened to professional wine makers and tasters about their experiences, and drink and share wine with wine enthusiasts, connoisseurs, and inevitably wine snobs.  Since I am interested in the subject, I also learned a few things about wine making, wine tasting, and the characteristics of good tasting wine.  These days, the same glass, bottle, or box wine just do not taste the same as the past.  There are definitely good wines, bad wines, excellent and unforgettable wines, and downright offensive and disgusting wines!

Knowledge in this case reset the standard of my pallet which allowed me to differentiate amongst wines.  The good news is that I am able to enjoy the good wines more than I used to, but the bad news is I will never be able to enjoy an "average" or "bad" glass of wine the same way I did before just because it was an alcoholic drink.

The standards established through acquired knowledge not only allowed me to enjoy wine, but also fresh sashimi, garden-grown tomatoes, a well-performed piece of music, and an interesting conversation with a friend at a level that's deeper and more meaningful.  However, on the flip side, because of the new standards, some sushi restaurant and the non-vine ripened tomatoes just do not taste the same!  If you were given a choice to enjoy wines without being able to differentiate the excellent from the average but always enjoy that glass of fermented grape alcoholic drink, which one will you choose?  If the choice was not just wine, cuisine, and art but love, partner, and life itself, what will your choice be?  Live blissfully or know these subjects inside and out and risk expanding the range of your happiness and experience the highs and lows of life?

The Constant Gardener

Last May, I posted Gardening for Dummies wondering if I should get one of the Dummy book series to start my planter garden. Instead of the book, I asked for suggestions and tips from friends, colleagues, and gardeners, and paid close attention to all gardening related TV shows, radio segments, and internet articles. Since last summer, I have not only successfully grown tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, and various herbs, I have also had delicious planter box vegetables and countless servings of organic pesto dishes! This year, in addition to the planter boxes, I got really fancy and expanded our gardening space! As part of our backyard landscaping project, we ripped out most of the shrubs and gained a lot of real estate for gardening. Before executing phase II of our landscaping plan in September, we have one growing season so we went absolutely wild! After reaping the fruits of my labor from last year, Jim decided that he's going to plant 9 tomato plants and 15 various peppers. With the gardening confidence that I gained from last year's crops, I bought 24 heads of various lettuce varietals, cantaloupes, honeydews, parsley, oreganos, thyme, and of course, sweet basils. The most fancy gardening thing that I incorporated this year was to release ladybirds (ladybugs) to fight off aphids!

I couldn't wait until the sunset last night to release 1,500 ladybirds that came in a cheap plastic container... When I turned the container up side down in the tomato planter, they crawled on to the plants, making themselves at home. 7am this morning, I rushed out of bed to check on the headcount, they were busy buzzing around the plants getting a morning tan. I watched them in fascination with just a slight tampering. I gardened for the most part of the morning and a few hours after sunset. Jim and I are both exhausted after two days of digging, planting, watering, and more digging. Tomorrow will be another gardening day but the hard work will be all worth it when that delicious balsamic vinaigrette salad comes from the backyard.


It's time to let the ladybirds work their magic and for us to head to bed. Tomorrow will be another gardening day and we will be one day closer to having those fruits and vegetables in our plates!

Maximizing Shareholder Value

If I sound a little too passionate about this subject, it's because I am.

Maximizing shareholder value has been taught in virtually all investment and finance related courses in school. The notion of maximizing shareholder value by cutting cost, reducing head count, increasing revenue, etc have been practiced and awarded in the corporate world. Manager bonuses are based on it, worker productivity is driven by it, and investor selection is reliant on it... However, is this the right thing to do for us as human beings? Has it become a sickness and maybe an obsession for us as managers, workers, and investors to maximize shareholder value?

The West Virginia mine that recently killed 29 people was operated by Massey Energy company. The company violated safety standards and was cited repeatedly by regulators due to safety concerns. Instead of spending money to correct the safety violations, the company fought the citations and ignored the high injury rate of the mineworkers. This kind of attitude eventually led to 29 deaths in 2010. Due to lack of safety precautions, in 2005, BP's accident at the refinery in Texas killed 15 people and injured 170. The oil spill today not only caused tremendous environmental damage, it also killed 11 workers. These are preventable 'accidents' that killed not just workers, but humans, one of us.

You and I will never hold a gun to someone's head and pull the trigger. If we did, we'd be arrested as murderers. We will never detonate an explosive to kill or injure anyone. If we did, we'd be hunted as terrorists. So, why is it acceptable for us as managers, workers, and investors to take others' lives in the name of maximizing shareholder value?

"Lifed"

Apologies for not posting more often and thank you for continuing to read and check on my blog.  During the past few months of not blogging, I got messages from people that I didn't expect who read my blog and complimented the postings, people that I haven't talked to much that followed the blog, and friends & family that supported me in writing.  I want to thank all of you for reading and your comments, keep them coming!

I blog because I want to share what I have learned and experienced and writing things down helps me move forward.  I don't necessarily want to share "positive" experiences, but I want to write about topics that are at least interesting and thought provoking (if I'm lucky).

It has been two and some months since my trip home from Thailand and I have been wanting to write and trying to share but I had no time, no energy, and no inspiration.  Life has been busy and I have been doing life instead of living life.  Yes, I was "lifed" by life and have been struggling to get off that hampster wheel...  Spinning on the hampster wheel faster, slower, harder, lighter didn't make a difference.  As long as I am on that wheel of life spinning, life becomes the master and I the slave.  So, I decided to take life one day at a time.  Not to deal with life but to live my life the way I choose to - one day at a time. 

Instead of cancelling our action-packed weekend because our weekdays were tiring, Jim and I attended all the events over the weekend.  Jim went to the beer fest with his friends, I cooked and we enjoyed dinner at Suzanne's, and we attended the 99th annual Bay to Breakers in San Francisco.  Life became ours again by living it one day at a time the way we choose to... When you are on that hampster wheel, what do you do to get off of it?

Embrace

The Thailand trip concluded yesterday on the third day of Chinese New Year.  Parents and I left Angela’s place around 5am in the morning to catch our flights to Taiwan.  I am not sure if it is age, awareness, or what the reason might be, the trip to Thailand this time versus the trip six years ago seem completely different to me.  On this trip, I observed more, thought more, interacted with people more, and of course, loved it more!  Six years ago, I visited as a tourist.  This year, I visited Thailand more as a tourist-traveler - not completely a traveler yet but more so than the last time.

I want to say that Thailand is a precarious country with its rich and poor, haves and have-nots, luxurious resorts and slumps, and modern and traditional contrasting in my mind constantly and persistently.  However, isn’t most places, so called “developing” countries from a Western perspective, like Thailand?  I have no illusion that the divisions, contrasts, and contradictions exist in a country like Thailand only benefit a small group of people or corporations.  However, I wonder, if the system was not set-up to benefit the lucky few, will the Cambodian, Burmese, and Thai work so hard almost to the point of slaving themselves to ensure that their next generation have an education to speak for?  I wonder if the value of a day’s hard work will be as respected?  And I wonder if countries like Thailand will be as energetic, exotic, intriguing, and exciting without these paradoxes?
  
I am not at all suggesting that the gap between rich and poor should be exploited, but what makes this trip so powerful, beautiful, and touching for me is the fact that I was able to see these conflicts, embrace their existence, without judgment.

A piece of me

I woke up at 5 AM this morning, waiting in bed for the sky to turn on its lights.  I needed to go get the last swim on the island in before we return to Bangkok.  Yes, the last swim is a necessity, not just desire.

When I was in the ocean this morning, I intentionally looked at the mountains and its trees closer, observed their colors and forms.  I paid closer attention to the sun and how it radiates and illuminates the sky.  I listened more intently to the sound of tide splashing when it reaches the shore and the crackling noise within the ocean.  I took in deeper breath of air than I normally would have, I floated and observed the clouds longer than I have been, and I stopped myself from brushing salt water off my face as much as I could bear…  I made an effort to see, to listen, and to immerse myself for the last time on this vacation at this beach.  Realizing that the end of this wonderful vacation has finally arrived, I decided to make the effort to enjoy and soak in what was there to experience.  I saw more, heard more, and dunked my head in the water more…

The speedboat arrived as I was watching a father dive in the water to catch the Frisbee from his young son.  The way the father dove, put a smile on my face, but watching the Lima Coco staff off load other guests’ luggage made me a little melancholy knowing that it was our time to go…  As we walked out of the lobby / restaurant, we said goodbye to Noy and others, it was a sad moment knowing that the vacation at this magical place had to end, at that moment.  I stepped onto the speedboat as the Frisbee landed right next to the boat, I looked up and saw the smiles on all of their faces, I knew that they must be having just as much fun as I did over the past week.

Pathetically, we were the only two returning to the pier where Jok awaited.  Yes, I wish we took others with us – hey, misery loves company right?  As our speedboat chopped through the waves, the water beneath lifted up the boat and dropped it almost simultaneously as if we were going over the very uneven bumpy road to the other side of the island.  I looked back, we had already made the turn where the Ao Prao beach was no longer visible.  I saw only mountains, white caps, and the emerald green ocean.

As our licensed boat driver kept his course, I realized that you probably shouldn’t visit Koh Samed, soak in the sunset, enjoy the sea breeze, and get accustomed to its beautiful nature if you are not ready to leave a piece of you there.  The boat propelled forward with its noisy engine cutting the ocean behind it into a large triangle with the white caps falling and rippling into the ocean…  Underneath my straw hat with my hair flaunting in the air, I knew that I will always have a place for Ao Prao’s sunset and that I have left a piece of me somewhere on the beach…

SEA-food

Last night, we had our first ever dinner on the beach, unplanned.  You can say that it happened by accident.  We sat down by the dinner table and then Noi (our waitress) told us that we could enjoy our dinner on the beach, so we moved. 

Honestly, it was on the beach.  The real estate where we had our dinner table set up last night no longer existed this morning because of the tide.  Apparently, the seafood feast on the beach is a custom here at Lima Coco on Friday and Saturday nights.  After sunset, staff here brings out samples of raw seafood plates, fires up the grill, sets up the tables and chairs on the beach, and then, the feast begins.  The feast last night was not your typical Hollywood beach dinner.  It was family oriented, casual, and not-at-all pretentious.  Families gathered around the bigger wooden tables and lovers the smaller ones.  Kids played with their pails, buckets, and shovels on the sand right next to the parents’ tables.  (What a great way to get them to not run around but still have fun.  Let them play next to your tables on the ground, what a novel idea!)  Staff of the resort was jotting down orders, making delicious seafood, and running around the sand beach delivering food and alcohol to hungry, thirsty guests.

Everyone was busy and we were no exception.  Clams, prawns, mussels, scallops, and white wine were all amazingly fresh and tasty so we swallowed everything with ferocious speed.  When we ordered our 3^rd and 4^th seafood plates, Noi hesitated in disbelief! While waiting for more delicious seafood, we grabbed our wine and strolled along the shoreline completely mesmerized by the beauty of the beach, how lucky we (and these kids) were, and contemplated on when and how to get our parents to come enjoy this magical experience.

The exquisite feast lasted for a couple of hours followed by a fire show performed by Ball.  The kids were in awe and the adults were fully satiated and entertained.  Our evening ended with tropical cocktails, light music, and ocean splashing in the background.  I thought to myself, “I can really get use to this.”  

Paradise Lost

It was 4 in the morning.  I woke Jim up and he told me it was only 4.  I have been lying there for about 30 minutes with my eyes wide open before I woke him. 

As I lay in bed, I wondered if it was time for the sunrise and the morning swim.  I can’t believe that the first thing that crossed my mind every morning on Koh Samed has been “is it light enough to go swim yet?”  I had to go this morning because I floated in the ocean yesterday, as an experiment, to see if the tide was pulling or pushing harder.  I concluded that it was pulling harder in the morning as I floated away.  The experiment has to be repeated and the same result has to be drawn to make it conclusive.  I have to try again this morning.  My thoughts ran wild. I am obsessed with having the ocean all to myself.  I was in bed, the sea was calling.  I was powerless, just waiting for the sun to light up the sky.  “That’s why Lima Coco’s slogan is ‘the sea is calling’!” The lightbulb went off in my head!  It brought a smile to my face in the dark room.  

All of a sudden, I saw something moving on the wall.  Maybe it was just a shadow.  But it moved again and curled itself around, underneath the air conditioner.  The black wall-crawler was probably 8 inches long.  I stared in disbelief, scared that it would head over above our bed or down the wall.   I turned on the air conditioner, hoping the commotion will scare this animal to the right direction – away from us.  I have always been deathly afraid of reptiles - the kind with four legs that crawls like a confused marching soldier with same arm and same leg in synchronization – in this case, all legs.  No matter how beneficial these little (or big) creatures can be for the environment, please just stay away from me and don’t let me see them doing their thing!  (Needless to say, I will never switch to Geico insurance)  Did I say I am deathly afraid of reptiles?  After I turned on the AC, the reptile went behind the overhead AC unit.  I got up, turned the light on, woke Jim, and told him about the reptile.  He looked, there was nothing!  He fell back to sleep after he told me the time.  I can’t go get help if it’s only 4am.  Defeated, I stayed awake, read my book, surveilled the AC with my peripheral vision.  But seriously, what was I going to do if the animal emerged?  I made up my mind that I was going to scream to wake Jim but I was going to head for the door flee to safety.  As I battled with my sleepiness, my paranoia, and my fear, I woke up late and missed my morning swim.

We went kayaking after breakfast as I asked the staff on the resort to check on our AC for the reptile.  I settled back in the lobby / lounge of our hotel after kayaking which almost killed Jim from the sea sickness.  Maybe it was breaking of the rituals yesterday and that the reptile was an omen?  Yes, I am paranoid!  Deathly afraid, I said!  I will follow the rituals for the rest of the day, so please please please, no more reptile on the wall.  

Guests

A boatload of tourists just arrived by the Lima Coco speedboat.  That was how we got here last week.  I didn’t understand what the staring was all about when we arrived, but now I do, as I fixed my gaze on those lucky guests of paradise.  The beach got busier the past 2-3 days as the weekend approached.  The guests are greeted with a mobile dock that’s attached behind a truck.  You can see everyone focusing their attention on the arrival of new guests, maybe because the ocean is so peaceful without the speedboat, or maybe because everyone reads the future of these newcomers and secretly wishing that it was them that just arrived, in envy, possibly jealousy.

Our guest of honor didn’t arrive on a speedboat last night.  He was born and raised here on paradise, I assume.  The little island cat was quite rude and a little intrusive, I might add. 

It was our second day watching the amazing sunset from the restaurant/lobby.  Where we sat, was directly across where the spectacle happens day in and day out.  The guests that have been here longer knew about the show and we compete for the best seats in the house.  The orange bright sun starts midway in the sky by seducing the clouds to turn orange, gray, and purple as it prepares itself for the dive.  The clouds seduced, tinted themselves.  The ocean glistened at the first opportunity to entice the sun to take its plunge.  From where we sat, people on the beach turned dark with only their silhouette visible as to avoid competition.  The dance and contest for beauty didn’t last long.  The calm, sparkling, red ocean wins.  It had swallowed the sun and the clouds dissipated in dusk.  As we watched all of this happen from our front row seat, we spotted this long legged cat that roamed the beach chasing little animals, possibly a crab, minding its own business ignoring the spectacular sunset.  He has probably seen too many of these same shows.  It gets old after a while even the sunset here on Koh Samed…

As our dinner arrived, the tiny cat, our guest of honor, decided that he would not only share a table with us, but my chair with me.  I fed him our leftover steamed fish.  He ate, and begged for more by jumping on to my lap.  I laid down the rules – nicely.  I asked him to sit on the other chair – incentivized with more fish of course.

Our guest was tired.  He laid on the chair next to mine after his meal.  He closed his eyes, dozed off, and showed no interest on what was going on around him.  More guests came for their feasts as we concluded our dinner. 

In the darkness, more speedboats pulled up to shore with glaring lights as more guests arrived for the weekend.  I stared them down, envious, and a little jealous.

Island Excursion, Heat Exhaustion

We wake at dawn and eat at dusk.  Doesn’t matter the time, it has been our routine since we got to Koh Samed.  Call it a “rut” if you will.  That’s what Mike always says, “You are in a freaking rut”.  We wake up early to dip in the sea, shower, and enjoy our breakfast.  After that, we read, I write, we drink, and we nap.  We don’t leave our room until it’s later in the afternoon for either a massage or for more drinks, then it will be dinner - served by the ocean.  In my defense, on this beautiful island, I call it a ritual not a rut.

To break the routine, we decided that we’ll go explore the rest of Koh Samed like we planned to do when we first arrived. The relaxing life at Lima Coco has made it hard to have the incentive to go anywhere.  Keeping our word, we called for a “taxi” to go to the east side of the island after breakfast.  The road was not paved; it was bumpy and filled with big, deep, and unforgiving pot holes.  They definitely need a Jeep on this island, this road is the only reason why a Jeep should be driven.

Our island excursion started out fine with the 200 baht taxi ride.  Although the road was bumpy, the taxi driver spoke sufficient English where he directed us to different places.  He dropped us at a tourism center that was a short distance from an east coast Koh Samed beach, a street where we could shop with farlung pricing, and a road to the other resort that’s owned by Angela’s friend.  We were set, and the taxi driver was going to pick us up in 4 hours.  Jim wanted 3 hours and I wanted 4, unfortunately, I got my way…  We checked out the crowded beach where all the younger tourists go (our beach had a lot more families whereas this one was an obvious single and farlung filled party beach) I shopped for clothing and accessories, and we checked out Lima Bella that’s on east side of the island.  By this time, all of my ambition to learn more about the east coast of Samed was all gone.  Sweat was not dripping down my face, but it was pouring from everywhere.  Jim and I had to visit the 7-11 twice to cool down, an ice cream and ice tea later, still didn’t solve our problems.  When we arrived Lima Bella on foot through more dirt roads, we didn’t look very “bella” at all.  The staff on the resort laughed at us in Thai.  Yes, we looked that pathetic while they were working in their black long-sleeved shirts.

Thank God that they were serving buy 1 get 1 free Barcardi breezers by the infinity pool.  The vast difference in living conditions between the town and resort was our saving graces.  Splashing water all over my face, sitting in front of a fan, downing several not so breezy Bacardi breezers, and rubbing ice everywhere (including my head) were not taking the heat away at all.  I think this is my first heat exhaustion on the trip.  Seriously, who’s idea was it to leave the comfort of our resort for this excursion?  Oh, it was mine…  I was so hot, dizzy, and sweaty that I had to take a taxi back to Lima Coco without finishing my breezer, playing with the long leg Thai cat, or Jim…

In the comfort of our air-conditioned bungalow, I decided that tomorrow, I will honor our ritual instead…  

Little things

I tip-toed out of our room in my bikini around 6 in the morning.  Since our arrival at Lima Coco, I have completely lost track of the day and time.  It was probably around 6 in the morning because it was getting bright outside.  Daylight started around 6 in Bangkok so I assume that it must be the same here in Ko Samed.  I have been waiting for the sky to light up since last night…

The flimsy doorknob made a clunk sound when I shut the door of our bungalow.  I ran towards the beach down the luggage slope.  There were people cleaning the resort, trimming grass, and sweeping the restaurant / lobby.  They looked at me as if I was crazy to be so happy so early in the morning.  I jumped in the ocean without warming up.  The water temperature was just right and there was no one in the ocean.  It was just me.  The ocean belonged to me!  I swam out to the deep side the ocean, way beyond where I can reach the bottom with my feet.  I turned around to face the land, marveled at the beach, the bungalows, and the mountains.  I thought, if God or gods had a residence on earth, it must be here…  I swam back closer to shore, stood in the spot where the tide pulls and pushes.  I stood in silence, watched and felt the pull and push of the tide for the very first time.  I am sure there are a lot of spots like this one, but where I stood, it was cool!  The sun slowly climbed up the mountains behind the resort and lit up the clouds above the ocean.  There I was, in the middle of nature, in the ocean, floating like an upside down jellyfish.

We had breakfast, so it must be around 9 or so because breakfast doesn’t start until 8.  We took a walk on the beach right away to avoid the heat later on in the day.  The gentle waves washed up tiny sand colored crabs that I just absolutely had to chase down.  Dad had taught me the crab digging technique on the beach, but these tiny ones were roaming free so it will save a lot of work for me if I caught one.  These little crabs moved really fast and after several attempts, I finally caught one!  Satisfied, we continued our walk between the shoreline where the waves meet the beach.  Dodging the bigger waves by jumping on the sand and letting the smaller waves wash off the sand on my newly painted toes was a treat in itself.

I settled in the hotel lobby with my books, sunglasses, camera, and sun tan lotion.  I can’t help but observe all the tourists that are getting ready for their first swim of the day in this hot morning.  They were all quite red already, like lobsters, but they lounged and swam anyway.  The staff of the resorts moved in slow motion completing their daily routine and the masseuse started with their first client of the day so it must be 10.

Life here is so slow and calming.  I am only concerned about the littlest things that happen on the beach, at the resort, in the ocean, and my tummy.  Who should wear their swimsuit and stroll down the beach and who shouldn’t?  Which holes on the beach have crabs in them and which ones don’t?  Which book am I going to read after I finish The Stranger?  If the sun rose from behind the mountains, it should set in the ocean that faces that lobby, am I going to miss it?  What will be my next drink and my next dish that I should order?  Relaxing means that these are not the least of my concerns but most of my worries!  If only if these were the only things that I am worried about, always.

I just ordered my first coconut of the day without vodka this time.  My next drink will be my first Johnny Walker on this island, probably around 11 or 12?

Lilly on the beach

A Norwegian girl, Lilly, with black curly hair has been coming by while I sat by the beach getting my foot massage (one step removed from another oil massage), pedicure, and manicure. She taught the Thai ladies and I how to say “fly” in Norwegian as she pointed to the flies that landed on my calf. “Flu-wa”! She said several times, slowly, correcting our pronunciations. Staff here on the resort told me that they have been here for the past two to three weeks so most of the staff knew her and adore her. They come here every year from Norway and this was her last day this year… I tried teaching her my name and the word “fly” in English, but she seems to have little interest. The staff tried to get a kiss from her but she refused. I asked her how to say kiss, she said, “suss”. Mind you, that she doesn’t speak English and I don’t speak a word of Norwegian (other than flu-wa) she understood what I was asking and taught us the word – thanks to the international language of pucker the lips.

Lilly and I are the lucky ones that get to sit by the ocean, listen to the wave splashing on the shore, while getting our nails painted and foot massaged. As I look over the general direction where her parents were, the ocean looked so calm, the grass and hills looked so green, the palm trees leaned so perfectly, and everything so peaceful and relaxed… We are the lucky ones that get to come here and enjoy this beautiful nature while being tended and cared for. We are lucky in the sense that we were born to the “right” places, the “right” time, and with the “right” parents. One can argue that Lilly at her young age get to enjoy the resorts and services for weeks every year, she’s luckier than I am. However, I am not going to rank our good fortune or with the slightest intention to minimize how lucky I get to spend this kind of time on this very beach.

This is the first time in a long time that I felt this relaxed. Perhaps, the last time, was six years ago at the same place here in Ko Samed. Since we arrived Thailand, I have been eating, drinking, sleeping, reading, thinking, and writing. All of which brings out the best of me.

Without the worries of work, career, the day-to-day productivity that’s required of me, I am able to enjoy thinking, solitude, and best of all - myself. It must be the indulgence of getting a massage under the palm trees and shade, with the sea breeze and sound of the waves gently tapping my face that I finally forgot about the worries of my modern life and found some peace, inner peace.

I looked over. Lilly was fast asleep, sunken in her massage chair, after being pampered on this peaceful and luxurious heaven on earth.

Floating Market

Speaking of Jok’s friend, he’s definitely not as honest as Jok. Angela has been using Jok for a very good reason... The Damnoen Saduak floating market in the Ratchaburi Province is one of the most popular tourist destinations, or shall we say “tourist trap”. This is one of the oldest floating markets in Thailand and it is probably the most crowded floating market with tourists these days. Prior to our trip, Jok told us that the long-tailed boats will cost about 40-60 baht per person for Thais and approximately 500-2000 baht for farlung (foreigners). He warned us, but he couldn’t take us. Guess where his friends took us? The farlung boat dock, of course.

“It’s 500 Thai Baht per person for the boat ride”, the boat owner said without blushing. “The taxi driver just told us it was 300 Thai Baht per person”, I protested. I wasn’t making this up. I wanted to see if Jok’s friend was taking us to the right place so I checked ahead of time. I didn’t argue when he said 300 baht per person, knowing he’s taking us to the farlung boat dock, at least, that was the cheaper end of the farlung price. Traveling with a blonde-hair husband that looks nothing like Thai, 300 baht wasn’t bad. The boat owner gave the taxi driver a look, he agreed. 300 baht per person and he assigned us this lady that was probably in her early 50s to row our boat. “Jim probably will end up doing some work too, maybe we should have paid full price?” I thought to myself.

The canal that leads to the floating market was narrow, narrower than I would have imagined. Our boat rower pulled over to the side of the canal to let a motored, long-tail boat pass right after we made our first turn. The waves that the motored boat stirred up, made me concerned that the greenish brown water will splash all over us. It didn’t, so I took the first breath of relief. Jim was still holding his breath because the boat was very unstable and I was rocking it by trying to take photos… Another six to seven motored long-tail boat passed by us before we reached the shops on the canal. (How come our boat was not motored and the motored ones always have the right-of-way?)

The shopping was quite interesting. The boat rowers will row the boats next to a store along the canal, the merchant who speaks multiple languages will guess your nationality, advertise in that language, then switch the language if she realizes that you are from a different country. So, I didn’t say a word so that we didn’t get harassed. Needless to say, that didn’t last long. We were coerced, we gave in, and bought a couple of purses, a dress, food, and some beers.  Haggling was fun though! Everything we purchased was more than 50% off! (I checked prices with Angie later and I got them for good prices) The best purchase was the boat noodle for 30 baht! The noodle lady covered all of her ingredients, spieces, and seasonings under a cloth.  She mixed the noodles, threw in the cooked meat, and ladled the soup in the bowl only when there's an order.  The cool thing was that the cooking and service were all done from her boat.  Hence, the boat noodle.  You enjoy the noodle on the comfort of your own boat and the boat rower will return the bowls after you leave. It was a small bowl of noodles but it was delicious! I had two and half bowls by myself (half of Jim’s that he didn’t finish) and I think that surprised the skinny Thai ladies including the boat rower! Beers were enjoyed with the noodles.  Aparently, riding under the influence with an open can wasn’t a problem at all!

An hour and half and plenty of sweat later, the boat rower finally made a turn and took us to the Thai Thai market. (Meaning - the market where the locals go) Yes, we were duped in believing the farlung shops were the actual Thai market. I was so hot at this point that I really wanted the boat to turn around, but we can’t leave without going to the “real” floating market, right?


The traffic was horrible in the canal. Yes, traffic. Boats that carry food, drinks, tourists, locals, and produce compete for space in the narrow canal. We got up close and personal with merchants and boat riders. Tourists were snapping pictures (including me), merchants were selling, rowing, and sometimes cooking, and locals were going about their day… Jim bought some coconut infused pancake snack from a boat that was four boats away from us stacked right against one another. The pancake lady skillfully passed the pancake snack to the merchant next to her boat and we were encouraged to pass the money to the boat rower next to ours... The transaction was complete efficiently with boats going about their own directions. We ate the coconut pancake snack in amazement of this orderly chaos.

I couldn’t take the heat anymore so we headed back to our car after 2.5 hours. On our way back to our dock, we saw people’s way of life on the canal. Kids playing along the canal, people lying in the hammock underneath their homes, boats parked in their boat “parking lot”, and women washing dishes in the canal. NO!!!! They didn’t just dip their dish in that dirty canal. But they did! Jim and I looked at each other and braced ourselves for a violent stomach ache after having consumed the boat noodles.

At this time, in the middle of the canal, we were solicited by our boat rower to tip her before we reached the last turn back to the boat dock. We dutifully complied.

This was a fun trip. It was hot, curious, exotic, dodgy, different, and very interesting. I’d recommend anyone to come to the floating market in Ratchaburi Province. Make sure you pay the Thai prices, go to the Thai floating market first, bargain for your purchases, and prepare your stomach to stomach some yummy boat noodles.

Conflict Resolution

Jok’s car is still out of commission so Jim and I rode with his friend instead. We headed out of Bangkok to the famous Damnoen Saduak floating market. The ride was smooth so I looked out of the window our entire two-hour ride to the market.

The highway runs through an industrial park; factories, chemical plants, scrap yards, other manufacturing compounds were everywhere. The side of the roads was piled with dirt, garbage, leftover construction material, and more dirt. As soon as I was ready to slouch back into my seat and declare that there was really nothing to see, and there it was, a golden, shining, architecturally fascinating temple that caught my eyes. Who built the temple here with such grand scale? Who worship at this temple? Do they need to have the temple here because working here can be so obviously depressing? Or maybe being allowed here to work is such a blessing that they built the temple to thank the Buddha for answering their prayers? The dirt piles, factories, and grand golden temples went on for miles, which to me, was such a contradiction...

Can you imagine living in a country so contradictory like Thailand? Not only the old and young are caught in between a different value system like the rest of us, the disparity between the super rich and dirt poor, the balance between the pursuit of capitalism and devotion to religion, and the living condition that is between modern high-rises with top-end Western amenities versus mud huts with absolutely nothing . How can a place and its people allow so much contractions and conflicts to co-exist? Could it be the teaching and practices of Buddhism? Or is it the hopeful and compromising nature of the Thais?

To thrive in a contradictory place like Thailand, what qualities and skills do you have to acquire so that you survive, and survive happily? I wonder, if I was living in this part of the world, what traits do I lack, as a product of Western education, will allow me to thrive? The answer to this question will probably improve my chances of resolving conflicts in my day-to-day seemingly “Western” world.

Newbies

Ok, I have to admit that I am not very good with being pampered. I can count with my hands the number of time that I have had manicures or pedicures my whole life. I can’t say the same thing about massages, but it has not been that many times. I am extremely ticklish so I never enjoyed massages when I was young, now that I am older and not as sensitive, I can enjoy massages now and then but I am still very self-conscious about the idea of being massaged.

Since Angela’s stay with us, she’s booked us several massages to a place that’s close to our house. I had two massages and they were both good. However, if I had to choose between great wine & food versus massages, wine and food will always win. So, now that you know where I stand with massages, I will share my first massage of this trip with you…

I was still asleep when the masseuse showed up at Angela’s flat. I was still drowsy and confused when they came into our room. As soon as they asked us to take off all of our clothes, THAT woke me up. I looked over from the mat on the floor to see what Jim was doing, he was already getting under his towel by this time. Ok – I thought to myself, if he’s ok with this, why shouldn’t I be? I faced down, tried to hide under the tiny towel that Angela gave me (I think it was more of a floor mat but that will have to do for now) and closed my eyes. I told myself, my masseuse is a woman, so who cares. (Obviously, I do) She started with my right foot, calf, thigh, and then the right glute. All of a sudden, I felt this brush. “No, she didn’t just do that”. She was massaging my foot when I started wondering if she brushed up against the trough of the valley. Then there it was again. “Yup, she did!” I thought to myself. I thought they were not supposed to touch your back door! “Oh well, as long as she doesn’t massage there, it is what it is… But, did she wash her hands after the pervious client?” I continued to have thoughts like these for the next hour. When she curled up my leg to press into my thigh, I raised my head like a helpless turtle; usually this will get the masseuse to lighten up but not this one… I tried to communicate, but it just brought more confusion and pain… I told myself, “I will have to learn – harder, softer, and no in Thai before getting another massage”

I heard Jim flip over and saw his masseuse climb over the other side of the bed. I knew it was my time to do the same thing because the masseuse were pretty much synchronized. I can tell that my masseuse was a newbie and she was following Jim’s lady. So I flopped, with very little to cover me. Jim’s lady actually came over and helped my newbie masseuse to tuck that floor mat around my very private part. As my masseuse massaged my legs, I was a little concerned that she doesn’t respect the boundary of that floor mat. Just as soon as I started worrying about it, she brushed against me… This time, the flip side of the valley trough. I didn’t dare to say anything, afraid that she would be mistaken… I looked over to Jim’s bed wondering what was going on there. “Did he just get brushed against, like me?” “He seems to enjoy his massage, is that good?” Then she moved up to my belly. When she started massaging my stomach, I can’t help but think, “what if one of us farted right now?” I burst out laughing when that thought crossed my mind. I laughed hard and couldn’t stop myself and the two ladies also laughed with me, but not sure why. Then, the experienced one turned and said something in Thai to the less experienced one and started working on Jim again. My masseuse immediately started tenderizing my breasts. By this point, I figured stop laughing and stop dwelling on my own thoughts would be beneficial for me. So I tried to relax like a good chicken.

Jim was asked to sit up at this point, he saw my lady giving me a breast massage. I caught a glimpse of surprise on his face and then he closed his eyes to relax. I couldn’t help but think, “You better stay cool, calm, and collected. Otherwise it will be hilarious and embarrassing…”

As I have told you, I am not a very good at being pampered. It’s way too funny how self-conscious I get in these moments and it’s way too funny when I observe my own thoughts and running commentaries. But don’t worry, I will have plenty of massages this vacation and I am sure I will get over the “novelty” soon, I think.

Concrete Jungle

We passed through Thai immigration with no problem.  The immigration officer seemed to think Ryan was very cute.  At the end of her questioning (mostly questioning Angela, who can communicate with her), she grabbed Ryan’s hand and said her goodbye.  I caught myself thinking, “the American immigration officer would never do that! Why is it that everything needs to be so ‘professional’ and ‘non-human’ in the US?”

The Bangkok airport reminds me of most major airports that I have been to.  The airports are large, plain, and not very welcoming.  Walkways in the airports are usually lit with florescent lights and the walls are plastic and flooring blah.  The oversized conveyor belts and silver panels that wrap around baggage claim are probably the most interesting things on the arrival side of the airport.  At least the kids tend to think so…

The flight arrived at 2am so claiming luggage was a piece of cake.  After I changed Ryan in the restroom, Angela and Jim already had all of our 8 pieces of luggage and carry-ons.  (Mostly Ryan’s stuff)  As we met up with Jok (Angela’s personal taxi driver – yes, there’s such a thing) and his friend, the humidity and heat at the parking lot made me realize that this is going to be a completely different living environment and experience for Ryan.  I took Ryan out of his baby-bjorn and the extra layer of clothing, then sat in the car behind the driver seat with my arms around him.  If we get into an accident, Jok will be the human airbag and I will be the steadfast car seat…

The drive to Angela’s from the airport is approximately 30 minutes without traffic.  Since it was 3 in the morning, the only traffic was trucks going up and down the highway.  The shadows created by the orange-yellow colored light rays can be dizzying if the car is going too fast.  Ryan was in my arms with his eyes wide open.  I wondered what he thinks of moving from tree-lined streets in Gold River to a city woven with concrete…  I grew up in a city like Bangkok but I never realized how different it could be for someone else.  Not that I didn’t realize the differences between Gold River and Bangkok but it never occurred to me that the differences would be so vast, shocking or unsettling to others.  I am lucky to have lived in both places and have both places represent normalcy for me.  Ryan now will have the opportunity to live in a concrete jungle like Bangkok and have it be 'normal' for him.

Jok pulled over and told us that his propane converted energy efficient car won’t be able to make it.  The car either needs more propane or it needs fixing (that's right, 3 am in the morning). We decided to get an “unrelated” taxi to haul us in.  As we stood in the middle of nowhere hailing for a cab, everyone seems stressed out but I thought it was kind of funny and neat.  I don't expect everything to work in Bangkok like how things are back home...  The second cab came and we hopped in.  This taxi driver was younger and he drove a lot faster.  I held on to Ryan tighter than the previous ride trying to stabilize him so he doesn’t fly out of my arms when the driver hits the potholes.  Our taxi sped through the streets like an arrow in the middle of the night – I felt like we were in one of those movies during a car chase scene.  15 minutes later, we got to our destination safely but both Ryan and I were sweaty, sticky, and probably stinky (for different reasons).   I got out of the car satisfied because I know that Ryan will have an interesting time here in Thailand.  If he doesn’t remember, we will remind him.  Not from our perspective, but from his – from a perspective that’s novel.

Reflecting on 2009

Our 2009 started at Suzanne's New Year's party and ended with Ryan arriving to our family and staying with us in Sacramento.  This year has been everywhere.  It was extremely busy but exciting.  It was chaotic but definitely fulfilling.  It was packed with challenges, love, frustrations, unknowns, surprises, friendships, ups and downs, but mostly -  life itself...

As I reflect on 2009 and reading the blog post "Curious & Beautiful 2009", I see that my 2009 was definitely a year filled with a lot of unknowns that required a lot of curiosity to explore and enjoy these uncharted territories.  The year started with the last stretch of the Introduction Leader's Program.  This is the program that I spent 7 months with an action packed schedule to lead introductions.  The program ended in March of 2009.  From then, Angela, Mariola, Andrew, the Kershek's, the Chen's, Frank, Kelly, and Danielle visited us in Sacramento from all over the world.  On these visits, we went to Napa Valley for new wines and we also tried new wineries in Placerville, the Foothills, and Amador County.   During this time, Nikki turned one year old and we partied up with tons of kids and adults, and I also flew back to Taiwan to support my mom with her doctor visits.  By the time we celebrated Lucy's 22nd birthday, summer was almost over.  Shortly after July, I started a new job with the Infrastructure group learning about investing in infrastructure assets for the pension fund.  I traveled to DC for a conference and it opened my eyes to a different perspective of how this country is run and how policies are established.  Angela moved in with us in September and we threw a 'semi-surprise' party for Jim's 33rd birthday.  From there, we went to a comedy show, a world music festival, Halloween bar hop, Thanksgiving Run to Feed the Hungry , cooking Thanksgiving meal for the family, Black Friday shopping, family gatherings, Christmas, and finally New Year's eve...

I took up belly dancing in the beginning of the year and it made me feel sexy so I was confident enough to cut my hair short!  The communication courses, new job, the conference that I attended, and the material that I have learned over this year made me feel a little smarter and more beautiful inside.  I also bought cookbooks and looked up recipes online to cook Persian and Indian food as ways to explore and expand my understanding of spices and different types of cuisine...  I also felt more fit having completed the Thanksgiving Run in my goal time (1 hour and 20 minutes plus some seconds) and I felt accomplished and powerful becoming a top 20 fundraiser for the Run.

Although I didn't succeed in taking a piano lesson, golfing more, and cooking three times a week, I feel that I have achieved having a curious and beautiful year.  I learned that I have the capacity to be beautiful inside and out if I allow myself to be curious.  Because of the 2009 theme, I have improved my ability to accept compliments from others and own up to my achievements.  During this year, I have also experienced a tremendous amount of love from all of my friends, family, and most amazingly from Ryan.  With Ryan's arrival, love and parenthood have a completely new meaning to me and I know that Ryan will continue to surprise me.

I can't wait to set a new theme for 2010 and experience another action packed beautiful year!