Somewhere else

What a year! I just realized I hadn't updated here for long! What have I done since last November? A lot! A lot more.

I went home for Christmas. Then I came back to work this January and I am still in vacation mood. I will visit Orange County soon again. This time Santa Monica and Coronado won't be in my plans. Good or bad? I have been to both places twice and think it must be boring to go there again. I mean I don't really feel boring but just feel a person who goes nowhere else except them every time she travels in CA must be boring. :P Let's see where I will go this time.

What else I have done for the past half year? Lots of DVDs, and more DVDs. hmm...at one point I thought I was sick of movies because I just watched many more than what I wanted. Also several books. I thought I read more quickly than I should and I was just abusing books. So I stopped at some point.

Oh...and four concerts at MSG.

I've got some plans to do for the rest of the year. Everything is about music or movies or books. I hope I can read some books on history or geography someday.

I'll be

Today I gave my first speech -- Ice breaker at toastmaster meeting. I was nervous but I think I did a good job. I made it without looking at my notes and people praised my smile. There are still many things I need to work on, and that will be what I can improve on my second speech.

Besides joining toastmaster, I did another wonderful thing. I started to volunteer again. Last time I did was back in Evanston. I volunteered at Mother Pavilion about five years ago. I worked for old people then. This time I work for young kids. It's totally different feeling and I am proud of myself for doing all these good deeds.

I could not ask for more

I am making my travel plans now. In a month I will visit Orange County. Last time I visited there is about four years ago. In my plan there is Santa Monica, San Diego beach, sunset blvd... I might be more excited if I hadn't visited Miami Beach last week. But I am still very excited to meet Rowena there. And it must be different to see Pacific Ocean. I dream about watching sunset at Santa Monica. I dream about watching sunset at La Jolla beach. What's more?

Life becomes much better when I stop asking for more. I will appreciate everything I have now. I am grateful to every surprise. I will learn.

Soak up the sun

This is what I feel when I was at Miami beach. It's such a lovely place. It has been one year since I went there last time. Same place, different people. Last year I went to a place called Ocean's Ten, it's at Ocean drive across 10th street. Such a lovely place.

This year I stayed at Miami Beach for seven days and six nights. I enjoyed every minute there. I spent most of time on the beach, lying on the bed and thinking about nothing. But I am so happy. I feel all my worries have gone, all my sadness have vaporized. I am back to the my free soul. What a wonderful time! During the nights we moved back to the pool and lay on the beds by the pool. We chatted days and nights, about work, about life, jokes, laughter...Those will stay in my memory for a long long time, I am sure.

You are beautiful

It has been quite a while since I wrote my blog last time. It has been a little dramatic. On the last night at Miami Beach I heard this song in the radio while packing. It's revised to smooth jazz. I recognized the song when it played the part that "but it's time to face the truth, I will never be with you". Although nobody was singing, I couldn't help singing the line and then I recognized that's the song!

And then I noticed this song quite often in radio. I felt it differently. The first time I noticed this song was back to two years ago, on the night when I packed and went back home the next day. And then I hear it again and again after I was back to the states. I love the video a lot as it is such a neat video. It's a very pure song, pure story, pure video. Somehow I did wish that were James Blunt's one-hit-wonder. hmm....maybe he could be better..

There is sunshine in my soul today.

I just booked the ticket to CA today. South California! I will visit my buddy Rowena at Orange County and San Diego is definitely in our plan. I am so excited and can't wait to see Rowena! It will be my third time to visit CA. On the trip back I will stop by Chicago and attend hooding ceremony. I hope everything will be fine and I will get my PhD degree. I am so excited and blessed. No matter how hard and unsatisfactory I feel on the way, I will only remember that I am happy in the end.

What's more, I will fly to Miami next weekend. Miami beach! Oh..Yeah! This is also the third time I visit FL. It has been three years in a row, always in May! I miss South Beach. I miss the bar called Ocean's Ten. I miss the sunshine there. I miss palm trees!

Someday out of the blue

It's a raining day all day and I thought Ruen would cancel my haircut appointment. It's under her strong request and kind persuadance that I finally decide to have a try. So we went to the city in rain. It turns out not bad, at least I feel. Then we went to candy's and have a nice dinner. Another week is over and tomorrow is Monday again. Isn't it nice? Now I feel very refreshing, especially after a long chat with Ruen last Friday night. I feel I am open again, breathing again. A brand new life is waiting for me. I hope I can stay long this time. I will try.

As our talk is always around life or love, I think I am picking things up. And through tiny things I realize how stupid I am. Stupid is stupid. And how ideal I dreamed about love. If I look back, I will see how many mistakes I have done yet how naive I have been. I promise I will look back as little as possible, but I won't make same mistake any more. I know I won't see you any more, but there is some you at some day, out of the blue, in a crowded street or a deserted square, I'll turn and I'll see you.