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.