I wore blue yesterday ...

I was going to add one more thing to be grateful for but I won't. BYU beat Utah 26-23 during overtime. I remember when I was still at Brigham Young University attending college, I hear people pray in sacrament meeting for a victory for the BYU football team. I thought those were inappropriate.

Anyway, I still claim to be a BYU fan although I received my later degree from the University of Utah. So I wore blue yesterday while watching the game on TV with a lot of Utah fans. BTW, they were about to kill me everytime BYU scored. I was outnumbered, but I held my pride during the game and I got out safe and sound :-)


To be honest, I don't really care about football and my friends know that. I just like to tease the crazy fans because I think it's too much that they take things so personal. See here the controversy on Max Hall's comment after the game. I'd say, what was he thinking? but then I tell myself, a Utah fan could have said the same thing about BYU and its fans too. So it should be even ... And Max Hall apologized here.

PS: I cheer for the U when they don't play BYU.

Things I am thankful for ...

1. my family, I get to see them in 19 days. I can't wait to eat mom's dish again, play with my nieces, hug my brothers, kiss grandma, and go crazy with all my cousins. Yay!
2. my roommates who have been like sisters to me. They are my remedy for homesickness. Yes, it's been 7 years and I still get homesick (sad face)
3. friends who seek the best in me, support and want to see me succeed
4. a place to go to for Thanksgiving
5. my mission president and his wife. Although I hardly see them, the random phone call, the unexpected postcard on holidays, and the kind words inside brighten my day
6. my work that enables me to serve, love, and care.
7. my religion. The Gospel has blessed me so much that I forget how tough it can be without it.
8. health. I have been so healthy and strong. I am grateful for this body I have that I can move and do many things.
9. trust. Other people put their trust in me.
10. and the obvious things: snow in the mountains so that I can go snowboarding again, my car so that I don't have to wait for the bus in the cold, water to drink, my scarves so that I can keep warm and cute.

I miss my camera ...

I love taking pictures and someday or soon :-) I believe I will own some kind of professional camera to fulfill my passion. This is one thing that I discovered from my mom when she came to visit me 3 years ago. She told me that I brighten when I have a camera in my hand and start pushing the shutter button. I haven't taken any classes how to take pictures but I have shot some amazing pictures. Thanks to my previous CANON cameras!

Anyway, my last one which I bought a year ago is a PowerShot A1000 IS. It accidently broke while some kids at work tried to grab it. The batery cover wouldn't close when I insert the batteries in it. It's been 3 months since I have been able to use it. I didn't want to give up so I sent it to the Canon factory and they will fix it for $100.05. I bought this camera for $170.00 and now I wonder what I am thinking but I want to have it fixed so I'l go for it. I need it so bad!

Halloween 09 costume!

Yep, it's halloween and everyone I know is excited about wearing something for their costume. I didn't grow up in a place that is so crazy about halloween. I didn't even know what it was until I saw something about it on TV when I was 7 or 8 years old. It's something to do with scary/spooky stuff !!!
Anyway, I have celebrated halloween since I moved to the U.S. in 2003. I have had to come up with a costume ever since. I have been an indian lady, cruella de vil, that lady who carries a basket of fruits on her head (I can't remember).
I took pictures of some authentic costume or interesting some of my friends wore yesterday:

Matt -- a mad scientist/doctor guy

Karen -- H1N1 virus ?!?! (notice her slippers)Jeremy -- Charlie Champlin

and my favorite is Daniel -- Moses, and he is even some geisha girl ?!?! Sorry Sam!

And finally Lyndsi -- Dorothy and me -- a munchkin/a lumberjack/a train engineer????Last year, I was a chimpmunk, I see a pattern here ... Next year, what kind of midget will I be?

The day after "halloween" which is November 1 is called the day of the dead where I am from. Today is the day when we remember our loved ones who have passed on. We would visit the cemetery and bring flowers and gifts for this day. I do miss my grandpa and my aunt. I know that I will see them again.

I broke up with pickle juice ...

I was planning to go to the Warren Miller shows last night to get a $16 ski pass but I missed it because I got very sick. I worked during the day and felt exhausted and hungry. I saw a big jar of pickles and was tempted to drink the juice before I left work.
Yes, I regretted it. I conclude that was the end of our relationship. I don't think I would want to drink pickle juice again. I was puking twice and had to go to the bathroom more than 3 times within half an hour. I lost a lot of water and felt like I was stranded in the middle of Sahara for a while. I started to get scared and was ready to call 911 if it didn't stop. Miraculously I slept fine and woke up alive this morning.

Whew!

I also testify to this ...

It's all about friends ...

Not too long ago, I read a post on the meaning of a good friend on my friend Jenny's blog. I thought about this a lot and I too want to be that friend who is always there for my friends no matter the distance is when it seems like the whole world is gone.

I had an amazing week by celebrating a close friend's wedding. It was a happy moment for all of us. I am so happy for her and wish the best for her in everything.
I also hang out with some friends from my mission. We were reminiscing mission stories from 8-9 years ago. We even had indian curry and roiboos tea to spice it better. We talked about visiting South Africa next year :-)
A good friend from overseas was visiting for General Conference with her family. Seeing their excitement about the Gospel, their faith, their confidence, and their sacrifice in all of what I also believe to be true gave me comfort and strengthened my own faith.

Temptation ... not easy

Check out this video about temptation. It's cute!
Kids are placed in a room with one marshmallow. The adult tells the child that they can either eat the marshmallow now or wait until they come back and as a reward, the child would receive another marshmallow for their patience. Simple but not easy!

Peace into my soul ...

Tonight, I finally made it to choir in which I signed up for Institute this Fall. I missed the first 2 weeks because of work. I forgot how good this is for me. I just love singing hymns and it brings peace into my soul and my life.
We will have concert coming up:
Fireside on November 8
Christmas concert: December 9 on Temple Square, 11 and 12 at the U of U Institute.

Saving tips for traveling!

I have a great passion in traveling. I wish there were no boundaries nor highly cost then I could go anywhere I want. Living in the U.S. has given me opportunities to visit a few places/countries. Besides the cost, I also have to face another wall whenever I travel. Being without an american passport limits my freedom to travel. Everytime I leave, I have to show a proof of visa to re-enter the country. Also, I will most likely need a visa to visit any country that is not my own because I don't have an american passport. I envy my american friends who take off to go overseas without worrying about visa and stuff.
I was looking for a cheap airfare to visit home in December and I couldn't believe the price. Luckily, I found one that is affordable enough. Then I saw this analogy online how to save for big overseas trips. I am thinking of doing this in the future.

Here’s a quick calculation of what you’d have to save over the next 12 months to pay for your flights:

. $2000+ = plane tickets between U.S. and Australia/New Zealand. At the lower end, this works out to $5.55/day, $38.89/week, $166.67/month.
. $1500 = plane tickets between U.S. and Africa, really unlucky peak season fliers between U.S. and Europe. This works out to $4.17/day, $29.17/week, $125/month.
. $1200 = peak season (Easter-September, Christmas-New Year’s) plane tickets between U.S. and Europe, U.S. and Asia. This works out to $3.33/day, $25/week, $100/month.
. $800 = off-season plane tickets to the above. This works out to $2.22/day, $15.55/week, $66.67/month. At $100/month, you’ll have finished in eight months rather than 12.
. $600 = plane tickets between U.S. and Central/South America. Over 12 months, $1.79/day, $12.50/week, $50/month. At $100/month, you’ll have finished in six months rather than 12.
More advice is to travel more often by traveling off-peak. Summer in Europe is nice, but is it four months of saving nicer than fall? Put another way, in five years of $100/month travel savings, you can experience 5 European summers or 7 European falls, winters or springs. Wouldn’t you rather take two more trips for the same amount of money?
Also, consider other travel destinations. Keep saving and you will someday get to London. In the meanwhile, you can visit Costa Rica *and* Peru for the same airfare (and your money will go further on the ground as well). Don’t be afraid to try unusual destinations you can afford; embrace the fare as guide!

Snow in Madagascar ?!?!?

If you look closely, the picture below is reporting that it snowed in the region of Antsirabe in 1900. PS: I was born there ...

Last week, (roughly one century later), a sign of snow was seen in the same area.

Well, this is strange enough, but it's kind of cool to post it here. For those who asks me if it gets cold in Madagascar, the answer is yes. I remember growing up in this area, we get frost and it gets really cold in the winter.

My trip to Canada!

I went on a quick trip to Canada last week. One of my friends from home got married in Regina, SK. And yes, Canada is a beautiful country.

Odette and Adam's wedding in the Regina, Saskatchewan Temple

River going into Elbow Fall

Elbow Fall in Calgary

Gorgeous sunset on the drive from Regina to Calgary

I hate junk mail!

I have been waiting for my passport from the Canadian Embassy in LA in the past week. My departure to go to Canada to attend on of my friends' wedding is supposed to be today but my passport hasn't come so I finally emailed them this morning to find out where my application stands.

I haven't checked my email all day because work was crazy so when I came home, to my disappointment, nothing was in the mail again. I turned my computer on and the Canadian Embassy sent me a reply that my passport was sent on July 7 on a certified mail, that I need to check with the post office. What? July 7, that was last Tuesday.

I wanted to cry, run upstairs to go through some mail and tons of junk mail, after a while I found a yellow piece of paper that looked like a speeding ticket. Yeah, my passport was delivered on July 10 but I needed to be there to receive it so the mail man left the notice.

The most frustrating thing about it that I went to the post office on Friday late afternoon to mail something home.

I hate junk mail, I should have seen this notice if we didn't get so many junk mail.

Anyway, here I come Canada. We will leave tomorrow instead.

backpacking!

This week-end, I went to do an overnight bakpacking trip with friends to White Pine Lake, located in the Logan Canyon. The hike was 4 hours round trip, very easy and the view is amazing. The Lake itself was gorgeous.

Freedom!

This is the sixth time I am celebrating 4th of July in the United States. I hear over and over people say they are grateful for their freedom. I found this awesome video on how people express what their own freedom is.

Work related!

I was in Denver attending the National Immigrant Integration conference for 3 days. It was very educational and a great opportunity to meet some great people. As many of you already know, my work deals more with refugees and it's very challenging but it's very rewarding at the same time.
If you are interested in seeing the good things happening at the Hser Ner Moo Community & Welcome Center, go here.

Father's day Video from the White House

This was sent to me! I thought it was cute!

AVOID TRAVELOCITY!

I booked a flight to Denver from SLC on travelocity on June 4. The flight was booked for June 24 - 26, 2009. I leave on Wed am and back on Fri evening. I have booked many flights through Travelocity in the past and I never print the reservation confirmation from the website. I just wait for their email confirmation and access my itinerary from there.
They did send me a confirmation email but it was blank so I couldn't access my itinerary. I finally checked my travelocity account yesterday and clicked on my stuff. To my BIG SURPRISE, my flight is booked for Jan 24-26, 2010, it is on a Sunday to Tuesday. How could this happen? I am 100% certain that I booked my flight on Jun 24 - 26, 2009.
I called travelocity and guess what? I was put on hold for so many times and every person I spoke to seemed to be somewhere in India. They kept pushing me to pay a penalty fee of $180 if I want to make any change to my flight. I asked to speak to a supervisor and I was put back to India. By the way, I bought a travel protection plan with my flight but I guess it doesn't cover a change of flight. It only covers death, disaster, blah, blah, blah!
Common sense, why would I book a flight to Denver like 7 months away. Also, I booked it with another co-worker. We chose the correct date (June 24 - 26, 2009). This is so ridiculous!
I hate TRAVELOCITY! this is the last time I ever deal with them. Never and never again!
I guess I will travel to Denver in January 2010 :-)
I googled this kind of issue and I found so many similar complaints. Go here to read them.

Bonne Fete Maman!

Our mother's day is different from the US. Today (according to the time zone over there) is our mothers'day. I wish my mom a happy one, full of prosperity and good health. There is no word to describe her quality as a mother. She has taught me a lot and I love her and I miss her!
Below is a picture from our trip to San Francisco when she came to visit me 2 and half years ago.

Gros bisous Mama!

Can't wait for NEW MOON!

Angels Land Here!

For the memorial day week-end, a bunch of friends and I planned a camping trip to Escalante. We made it there but we couldn't stay since it rained so hard on us. Our tent got wet and there was no way we could hit the slot canyons. It was so beautiful, I'll have to go back when it's not raining.
So instead, we escaped to St George and visited Zion National Park again. I went for the first time last year and I thought hiking Angels'landing was so hard that I couldn't make it to the top due to my great fear of height. For some reasons, this time I made it to the top and down without any dramatic experience.

View from the bottom

Somewhere on the way up
Chain to hold on to climb the last part
Me on the top of Angels' Landing

Where the camera ...

took me to shoot some spring photos!

Still an alien but safe

So my H-1 B visa got approved yesterday. It means I can stay in the United States for another period of 3 years starting on October 1. I am still an alien (that is what they call non-immigrant legal residents in the U.S.) but I can travel and won't have too much hassle to reenter the country.

So grateful and stress free about this whole thing. YAY for the U.S. !

Running for health

Just for fun, I run a 5K on Saturday. It was the Smithfield Health Days one in Logan. It wasn't bad at all. With my not so good shape and just 4 days training, my time was 33mn and 36s. My t-shirt number was 165 which is my height in cm. I thought that was cool!
Would I do it again? Yes. Maybe a longer one but I have to train more to build up my speed and my strength.

Another blog of mine!

I want to keep the theme of my blog so I moved all of my postings about the crisis in Madagascar into another blog.

A different kind of Easter

Traditionally, Easter week would be spent going to the mass every night in my family. Then on Sunday, we would put on a new dress and new shoes to go to Church. Then there has to be a family meal with great food shared together. As far as candies, we have chocolate bunny and egg. They are huge and we usually don't finish them all. We also have an Easter Monday that is a holiday and nobody goes to work or go to school. It's a family time. We get together as a family and go for an excursion in the country side.
This last week, I saw a different side of Easter especially the tradition of Easter Egg Hunt. It was amazing to see so many children get excited to hunt for eggs, well candies. This was a city event that I was part of for work.

Mr. BunnyThey are so ready to start !!! countdown and ...

Go !!!!!.....

This is how many eggs this little girl managed to collect.

Happy Easter!

NOLA

Above is a colletion of a few of the highlights from my New Orleans trip.

1. A walk to the French Quarter: Bourbon St, St Louis Cathedrale, the streets of so many balcony etc ...
2. A river boat ride along the Mississippi
3. Tasting Jambalaya and Gumbo
4. Eating beignet at Café Du Monde
5. Visiting one of the famous plantation in NO -- Oak Alley Plantation

6. Meeting Jeff Corwin and guess who he is?

My job! making a difference

I have been in New Orleans since Wednesday for a national convention my work sent me to attend. It's the National Aftershool Association 2009 Convention. I mentioned before that I work for a non-profit! Yes, through the city by running a recreation/community center. My experience this week has made me feel so good about myself and what I do. I had no idea that afterschool program is such a big deal in this nation. I had no idea that what I do for my job is such a big cause -- to provide a safe place for children to go to after school.
We provide many activities to help build characters, to boost self esteem, and to improve academic performance.
I love my job!

The Silver Dollar story

I saw this in one of my friends' blog and I thought I'd post it here. It reminded me of a quote which is one of my favorite, "All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen." by Ralph Waldo Emerson

I love drinking tea!

I love drinking tea. One of my favorite is rooibos which I discovered while serving an LDS mission in Durban, South Africa. Today I went to the store and picked up one kind that actually made my day. You know why!

Mmmmm!

Wish I had smiled more!

I am in the Institute Choir and guess what? we sang at the YSA fireside last Sunday. There were a lot of us, 500 and something singers. I heard we sounded good and yes, we were on TV. Well I watched the broadcast later and yes, I was on TV. I wish had smiled more, I thought I was smiling the whole time but the picture shows I am not. I can't really describe my look but I didn't look that happy. Click here for the video and below is one shot I stole from my facebook friends.

'Taking chances!

One of my friends is hiking Mt Kilimanjaro at this very moment. What a dream come true! I'd say. Well, one of my dreams came true yesterday. Who would have thought that I would see this diva in concert. It was spectacular!
The coolest part was that she sang a french song -- "Pour que tu m'aimes encore". It means, "so that you will love me again." I was hoping that she would sing in French even one song and she did.

Celine Dion on tour, in Salt Lake City!
Taking chances!

The "Prayer", my all time favorite.

I'm alive!

The downtown trax was packed for transportation!
Merci beaucoup Céline!

SCAM -- I refuse to be the next of kin.

So I received a letter from Barrister Zaman Bukhari of Zaman and Associates . I have no idea who he/she is, but whoever this person is offering me some monetary values from his late friend's posessions. I copied and pasted a part of the email I got.
I quote, "My contacting you is to assist in receiving and distributing the left assets which includes some monetary values in a dormicilliary account at a local bank before it is confiscated or declared as unserviceable account because i have been issued some notice by the bank to contact the next of kin to my late client to come forward to make the claims and have the account operated."
While reading the email, the big question went through my mind: what makes me the ideal candidate to receive this unknown inheritance?
This is a pretty lame answer. I quote, "My proposition to you is to seek your consent to present you as the next-of-kin and beneficiary of my late client, Since it happens that you share the same last name{V??????} which is actually the key to put you forward as the next of kin and then have the funds paid to you after which we can then share the total amount on a mutually agreed-upon percentage."
Seriously, who would buy this kind of stuff? First of all, I doubt if there is anyone in Malaysia (where the email claims to originate) who share the same last name as me. So, sorry to Mr/Mrs Bukhari, I can't help him/her. I think this whole thing is just a scam and I hope that people out there don't fall victims of this kind of stuff. Shame on whoever is trying to plot this! It's surprising that the law firm they claim to belong to actually have a website. I googled it!

wasssup?

Although the past few weeks were pretty rough back home, I have survived. I enjoy my job and the routine of everyday life doesn't bother me. I guess I can say I am content.
To stay happy with the winter season, I have been snowboarding. I am getting better and better at it. I hope that soon I will have the guts to go over jumps and to speed like a lightning down the mountains :-)
On Valentine's day, someone told me that it is a single's awareness day. Well, I am aware of this fact but I am happy I am single. Me and a bunch of girlsfriends got together to eat out at Macaroni Grills to celebrate a friend's birthday. It was yami food! We all then came home and had other people come over to watch a movie and have treats.

Also on this day, I went to a basketball game with one of my mission friends to watch the U play Air force and the U won. YAY! It was a good game an I was proud of myself that I cheered for my school. lol!