My moment of insanity? Inspiration? Impulsiveness? May 13, 2008

Last week I finally lost my thin grip on sanity!  At least, that’s what I’m thinking right now during my moment of quiet contemplation.  I made two important decision:  run in a half marathon and sign up to start my Masters program. Why is this crazy?  One, I hate running because I am not good at it! As for my Masters program, great idea but I would have to squeeze that in with my crazy schedule.

My brilliant idea started a couple of months ago after a conversation with two of my co-workers who I was trying to persuade to go to the gym with me. I told them it would be a great idea if we run in a marathon because then it would force us to go work out consistently and they agreed.  After speaking with them, I decided to run the idea by my principal who has done a full marathon before and she thought it was an awesome idea and that she would help us train.  She even loan us a book on running. 

Now it’s May and my principal and I and three other co-workers have all registered for the America’s Finest City Half Marathon in San Diego this August.  I can’t back out of it now since I have already made the commitment.  The idea that I am going to do a half marathon is frightening and nerve wrecking, but exciting because it will be a physical and mental challenge for me.  At least my marathon is short compared to the breast cancer walk my little sister  is going to do which is 60 miles in three days!  She is trying to raise 2200 for the Breast Cancer Society.

I am getting ready for it by cross training, doing yoga, running and biking so I can work out all my muscles.  I am going to try my hardest to finish in the three hour frame they set for us.  I hope I don’t get trample by all those professional runners!

If anybody would love to participate in this marathon in beautiful San Diego here is the link:

http://www.afchalf.com/

 

My mother, my role model May 11, 2008

Most people will claim that their mother is the best role model for every woman because she is understanding, patient,and sweet.  My mother’s best traits are polar opposites of those fine qualities. She is renown for her abruptness,  temper,  impatience. She believes in being honest at all times even if it offends someone. She detests laziness and has no patience for people who make excuses for their lack of drive or determination. She is very opinionated and will tell people exactly what she thinks of them or their behavior. She hates gossips and if she hears anybody talking bad about her or our family, she will confront them. My mother can sometimes be overbearing because she will tell me what to do or what she thinks even if I do not solicit her opinions.

My mother is my role model because she is amazingly strong, determined, and resilient. She has taught me the importance of being a woman with high morals and values. She has shown me to stand on my own feet and not be dependent on anyone for the success or failure in my life. My mother is extraordinary because she is a woman of substance, faith, and loyalty. I am proud to say that I am my mother’s daughter.

Introduction into an American School May 9, 2008

Some  kids are lucky to have one or both parents take them to their first day of school.  In my case, it was my preacher, Brother Dale.  He was the one who took us to school.  I was seven years old when I started school in America.  I was put into Mrs. Bizzell’s second grade class.  There were no other Asian much less khon Lao in my class so I did not have anybody to interact with or ask questions. While the rest of the students were doing their regular classwork, I struggled to learn my basics…ABC and 123.  I couldn’t read, write or speak English so it was a challenge to complete the class assignments. It felt like I was deaf, dumb, and blind because I felt so lost.  What made it worse was the fact that I had to discover a way to over the language barrier so I could communicate with my teacher and classmates. I came to rely heavily on my ability to remember and mimic the other kids in class. Inadvertenly,I became an expert observer and imitator. 

Mrs. Bizzel and I eventually discover how we can communicate to each other by using hand motions and strong facial expression.  Looking back now it was like paying charade.  We were both trying to “guess” what the other person was saying with their hands, body language and dramatic gestures.  If we were students in a clown school, I’m pretty sure we would have been the head of the class! 

Learning the English language was my top concern because for me personally, I wanted to know what other people were saying to each other or to me.  There were times when the kids would point and laugh when they would glance my way and I would feel so frustrated because I didn’t know what they were saying. 

Everyday, my brothers and sister and I would be taken out of our class to a resource class where Mrs. Lennon and Mrs. Brown would help us learn English.  They were instrumental in us grasping the language faster which was not easy because we had to learn to use different parts of our mouth to speak.  The most important thing was, we had the determination to overcome our language barrier.

 

Another one of my Karma Story! May 6, 2008

 

Two weeks ago my students and I volunteered to help with the first annual Yuma Art Beat. We were there from six in the morning to seven at night.  It was a very long day, but interesting because it was an art show/wine tasting event.  I didn’t taste any wine because I was helping with the event, but I met so many talented artist there.   One of the artist I met was Issa.  I noticed her paintings immediately because it was vibrant, passionate, and full of life.  She was the first artist I wanted to speak  to because I simply love her colorful paintings.  I felt drawn to the paintings so I decided to go up to her and ask her if I could take pictures of her work and put it on my website.  She generously agreed and asked her about her inspirations for the paintings.  She said she is an expressionist painter because she enjoys painting things to show the different sides of the human emotion from sadness to joy to fear. 

After I interview her and pictures, we exchanged information so we could keep in touch and so she can come to this site to check her paintings out.  When I handed her the piece of paper with this site (karmadiva.wordpress.com) on it, I told her it’s called that because I believe in karma.  She responded that it was weird because so does she.  In fact she believes in it so much she and her friends meet and discuss karma in a social setting. She invited me to attend if I wanted to and I promised her I would call so we can meet over coffee.

My meeting with Issa reminded me of that Chinese legend of the red thread”An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break”.  Out of all those people at the art show, it was interesting that I would connect with her and end up having more in common with her than everybody else there. 

 

 

 

 

OneRepublic April 28, 2008

Image from google images

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izRNYB-d_N0

I love this new band because they remind me of Savage Garden for some odd reason.  Most people have heard of their song, “Apologize” because it had heavy radio play.  Now their song “Stop and Stare” is getting the same attention.  I especially love “Stop and Stare” because the words reminds me of how we all get ’stuck’ in life’s problems once in a while.  Some of us, forget who we are. Some of us forget what is important in life.  Some of us, fool ourselves into thinking we are moving in the right direction, but realize later that it is not what we want. I can ramble on forever about the different things or images I get out of this song,but then it would only be my opinion!  I love these lines because it reminds me of the importance of looking at where we have been in life to help us figure out where we are heading in the future and why.

Stop and Stare,  I think I’m moving, but I go nowhere

Yeah I know everyone gets scared, but I’ve become what I can’t be

Stop and Stare, you start to wonder why you ‘here’not there

 

Another of their song, “Say” is also a really good song. This song is beautiful! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ-4f9GP92Q

 

Geocaching: A modern twist to scavenger hunts April 28, 2008

http://youtube.com/watch?v=LMHZcgM11GU

This weekend, I took thirteen members of the club I sponsor from school to San Diego on our first trip out of town. I talked my secretary and my co-worker in going along as drivers and chaperones.  While most people would shudder at that thought of taking thirteen teenagers anywhere, these two brave soul was enthusiastic and excited about the trip. 

Brian, one of my chaperone, is also a history teacher.  He was excited about going with us because the trip would provide him with the opportunity to do some geochaching (pronouned ‘geocashing’). The kids and I asked Brian what the deal was and he said it was a scavenger hunt using hand held gps systems to locate “treasures” people hid all over the world in different places.  In order to get clues to where the “treasures” are, people can go to geochaching.com.  Once at the site, people can get the clues as well as the coordinates left by others as a guide to the items left. Here’s a history behind geocaching from geocaching.com that better explains it.

On May 3, [GPS enthusiast], Dave Ulmer, and a computer consultant, wanted to test the accuracy [of GPS systems]by hiding a navigational target in the woods. He called the idea the “Great American GPS Stash Hunt” and posted it in an internet GPS users’ group. The idea was simple: Hide a container out in the woods and note the coordinates with a GPS unit.

The finder would then have to locate the container with only the use of his or her GPS receiver. The rules for the finder were simple: “Take some stuff, leave some stuff.”

On May 3rd he placed his own container, a black bucket, in the woods near Beaver Creek, Oregon, near Portland. Along with a logbook and pencil, he left various prize items including videos, books, software, and a slingshot. He shared the waypoint of his “stash” with the online community on sci.geo.satellite-nav:

N 45 17.460 W 122 24.800

Within three days, two different readers read about his stash on the Internet, used their own GPS receivers to find the container, and shared their experiences online. Throughout the next week, others excited by the prospect of hiding and finding stashes began hiding their own containers and posting coordinates. Like many new and innovative ideas on the Internet, the concept spread quickly - but this one required leaving your computer to participate.

Within the first month, Mike Teague, the first person to find Ulmer’s stash, began gathering the online posts of coordinates around the world and documenting them on his personal home page. The “GPS Stash Hunt” mailing list was created to discuss the emerging activity. Names were even tossed about to replace the name “stash” due to the negative connotations of that name. One such name was “geocaching [geo meaning 'earth' and cache meaning 'hiding place"].

So far Brian has found 575 geocache, two of which he found on  our trip to San Diego wth my club kids.  Number 574 he found in Balboa Park in the Butterfly Garden, close to this huge tree.  He used the clue and his GPS unit to locate the items left by another geocaching enthusiast.  We witness his discovery of the waterproof brown plastic zip bag with butterfly items in it.  There was a rubber butterfly stencil and a little butterfly notebook inside.  He wrote: number 574 founded with the IFEC (my club) from Kofa, Yuma, AZ. The kids and I were excited as him for this “treasure”.  When we went to Coronado Island, he found number 575 on the beach. 

If you love scavenger hunting and have a GPS unit then this could potentially be the next great adventure you are looking for.  This idea of ” sharing things” by ” taking some stuff and leaving some stuff” is brilliant because we all love a good “treasure” hunt because it tests our own cleaverness. For more info in case you would like to start your own hunt, go to geocaching.com.

War is not the Answer! April 13, 2008

Howard Zinn is someone I admire greatly because his words are truly inspirational.  He has written many books such as his most recent Just War, The Unraveling of the Bush Presidency, and A Power  Governments Can not Suppressed.  His straightforward and candid discussion, analysis, and insights into history inspires further thought and contemplation on events we think we are experts in. 

In this day and age, all we hear about is war and destruction all over the world.  Everyday we are bombarded with the media ’s stories on war and conflict. We have become to a certain degree become so familiar with violence that we almost expect to see something bad all the time in the news. Maybe that is the problem: we have talked ourselves into believing and accepting that violence is normal and part of life and to get use to it.  Are we becoming a society that accepts everything we see because we are too lackadaisical to want to discover the truth?

I saw a video on Youtube where Howard Zinn was asked if he thinks war can be categorized as just or unjust. I like the the response he gives.  He says that any war  should be seen as unjust. I agree with his statement “There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people for a purpose which is unattainable.”  For example, the Iraq war, we went in there to take Saddam out, but as a consequence there are millions of displaced citizens and the dead.  Some of these people do not care who is right or wrong. They just want to live their life in peace. 

Is it part of human nature to be agressive?  Is war a natural progression of civilization? 

An act of charity April 4, 2008

When I was living at home I use to hate it when my mom would command me to come out of my room because we have visitors because I knew that meant one thing: I had to go greet our visitors and ask if they were hungry or thirsty. If they were hungry I had to feed them and if they were thirsty I had to get them something to drink. Looking back now,I am grateful that my mom made me be the one to do this because now it is so easy for me to ask a total stranger if they were hungry or thirsty.
Who would have thought a Laotian tradition of seeing to the comfort of our guest would actually help me to comfort those outside my home.

We should began each day with an act of charity.  The first gesture should be towards ourselves because in order to teach others to value themselves, we must have a positive opinion of our own self-worth.  In order for that to happen, we need to be less judgement to what we perceive as our faults and flaws, whether it be physical or emotional.  There is nothing wrong to admit our weaknesses, but to fixate on it on a daily basis can prevent us from seeing the goodness in ourselves as well as others.  This brings to mind the definition of charity according to Encarta, “the willingness to judge people in a tolerant or favorable way.” I like this definition because it is the reason why we give to charities or create one of our own.  We give to others because we want to help them no matter who they are, what race they are, or what they are like.  We are tolerant of other people’s faults because we are aware of own shortcomings.  At least that is how I see it.I am saddened by many things I see everyday.  One of those things is the homeless situation in my community, the nation and the world. I can’t stand the idea that a person has no home to go to at the end of the day because I equate home with warmth, security, and happiness.  When I see a homeless person I wonder what they are going to eat today, where are they going to sleep at night, who is going to be there for them when they are depress or angry about life.  Also, I think about who cares about their welfare? Where is their family and how could they let them be homeless? I know there are a dozen reason or justification for a person being homeless, but it still upsets me to see them like this.

A couple of years ago I met a homeless man at the park who made me realize two important thing: 1) always act on my impulses 2) see the goodness in others no matter what. As I was leaving the park with my friend I noticed a man sleeping on the grass . His fits of coughing spasm cause me to stop, lean down and lightly tap him on the shoulder to ask if he was okay.  What started out as a polite question about his well being turned into a conversation about the mundane: the weather, the other people at the park etc.  Our topic of conversation was pretty random and nothing deep, but what happen afterwards had a profound affect on me.

I told the man to take care of himself and as I started to leave,he said, “Thank you for the conversation.”  That was it.  He didn’t ask me for money, food or anything.  I stared at him in surprise, amazed that he was grateful for our conversation and that was it.  When I got into the car with my friend I was telling her how bad I felt that I didn’t have any food or drink or something with me to give to him.  I could have gone back and taken him some food or drink, but at that point I didn’t how to help him without making him feel awkward that I knew he was homeless.  Even though I had nothing to give him except my time, I felt that me simply talking to him as an equal was valuable.

Since that day, I have learned to act on my impulses to help others without fear of what others will think of me or fear of humiliation of assuming too much or too little about someone’s situation.  When I see a homeless person I make it a point to ask them two things: 1) how are you and 2) have you eaten anything today?  Of course, I am sometimes uncertian whether the person is homeless or not, but it doesn’t hurt for me to ask those two questions. Getting yelled at or being told to go to hell is a small price to pay.  So far, neither has happened to me.  The people I meet has always accepted my offer of buying them a meal whether it is at a gas station or at a fast food place, wherever I see them.  I don’t expect anything, not even a thank you because I do these things because I want to.  Knowing that I have ease their hunger for that brief moment is more than enough.  Looking them in the eye and telling them to take care of themselves and not give up hope is something I always do when I walk away.

An act of charity is not just giving of things or monetary donations, it is act of caring for others with our words and deeds.

Can’t live without the fish sauce! March 30, 2008

I have many fond memories of my college days.  The first one of course involves food. When I went off to college I did not take any Laotian grocery, condiments, or sauces with me because I didn’t know who my roommate was going to be and how they were going to be like.  I didn’t want to offend the person’s sense of smell by stinking up the tiny dorm room with padek and fishsauce. I didn’t want the person to think it was me that stink instead of those sauces. That would definitely make a bad impression. Besides one of my goal was to make friends not enemies!The first semester my roommate was a cowgirl.  She was straight from the farm. Her parents own a thriving farm with chickens, cows, goats etc.  She was pretty nice, but I still did not feel comfortable cooking Laos food using any padek or fishsauce.  It was not until the second semester when my best friend and I could room with each other when I could really cook good Laotian food.  Once we started rooming with each other I went home to get my Laotian spices and condiments which included our favorite and must have: fish sauce! 

There was a kitchen in the basement of our dorm where we do our cooking.  I should say I was the expert cook and my best friend was the helper since she couldn’t cook any Laos food.  Anyway, I don’t remember what we cooked but we were in a rush to go back upstairs to our room to eat it so we were hurrying up the stairs when one of us dropped the bottle of fish sauce down the stair case.  It broke when it went slipping from our hands and over the side of the staircase.  We both gasped and looked at each other horrified because we could already smell the stinkiness drifting up to us.  Instead of cleaning it up we rushed away from our crime scene and to our room because we didn’t want anyone to know we did it.  We didn’t clean it up because we didn’t want anybody to catch us cleaning it up and then ask us twenty questions on what that sauce was. I know it’s horrible to not clean up something we did, but under this circumstance we felt it necessary to run away because we were embarrass to admit we love fish sauce and it’s part of our cooking.

That fish sauce was clean up that same week by the janitors because someone had complain that something stinking was in the basement.  The other girls on our floor would talk about the smell too and wonder what the hell stunk so bad down there.  My friend and I would look at each other and had to turn away before we started laughing because contrary to what they think, there was nothing dead there in the basement just fish sauce! 

After our “accident” we were more careful because we didn’t want to be caught as the culprit.

Choose or Lose March 24, 2008

This ad says it all! We, Asian are the least likely to vote! Do something about it and change this! Go to the poll and put us among the groups to influence this election!