Earthquake

Tonight there was an earthquake here in the Bay area. Fortunately growing up in Earthquake land AKA California, I'm used to it that I really didn't notice it. After a day of classes and doing "group activities", my co-workers decided not to join me for a small field trip across the Bay. I wanted to check out Fremont Police Department's Comm. Center and one of the guys in my group at class was a Sergeant for that department. His wife was a Supervisor at the Comm. Center and I got to visit. Their facility is very nice, looked like a mall inside. But the Comm. Center was much nicer than ours, my co-workers were right in warning me that I would be jealous. And I was! They have new equipment, a really nice room but I also realized and appreciated the things we have in our Comm. Center. I decided to go back to my hotel by 8pm and talked one of my coworker to joining me for dinner. He decided to just drink and I needed food so we went to the Japanese Restaurant on sight. Just as he ordered the SAKE it was when the quake hit. I thought it was just the movement of the water affecting your senses but the waiter told us it was an earthquake. Boy I didn't even think twice about it! I was so hungry and focusing on the food. LOL But I am okay and Lord willing it will not happen again tonight.

Business Trip

I'm on a short business trip for the next three days. Our Captain invited two co-workers and myself to attend a training class in San Mateo. So today we left Sacramento and checked into our hotel at Foster City. The class is held at San Mateo Community College which is like 10-15 min. away from the hotel. So far I am liking this way of travel, using the company money. =) The hotel is very nice and I'll take more pictures tomorrow. We got into San Mateo around dinner time and after unpacking, we went to look for where our class is going to be held tomorrow. Here are some pictures of our first day.

Culture Shock

One of the greatest pre-trip tools I use is the Culture Shock books. Reading up on the culture of the country I will be visiting helps me understand it so much better. I am equipped to see the country and how they do things without being too overwhelmed on how different it is from American culture. Right now I am currently reading "Culture Shock:Thailand" and it is very fascinating. The whole Asian 'saving face' custom is so prevalent in Thailand from what the book is explaining. One of the motto that the country has is "a country of a thousand smiles".

Now from reading the travel books there are basically two things a person will decided after spending time in Bangkok. You will either love it or hate it, and my Culture Shock book gives the same resounding thought. I am only half way through reading the book but so far it has provided me with some enlightenment on the culture and how things are the way they are. I only wish I could've found the Culture Shock book for China and that they made one for Cambodia. Right now my only perspective on Cambodia is that they have a bloody history. As for Hong Kong my thoughts are that it seems like a Westernized Asian country, trying to blend two very different things together and turn it into something harmonious and beautiful. So right now my only background information is for Bangkok. The other two places I will visit (especially Cambodia)will just have to surprise me. But then again that is one of the great things about traveling, the unexpected experiences.

Bangkok Plans

My Asia trip is coming up shortly just under two weeks now. I was originally going to stay with some friends of my parent's in Bangkok. But being "westernized" now and all I need a place that has air conditioning and is safe for two females. So I booked with the Christian Guest House in Bangkok after a recommendation from one of my friends. The price wasn't too bad about $50 a night for a room with two beds and a bathroom. I figure that the room will only be used to sleep in and change since there is so much to see. I'm also starting to make a list of the places I want to visit and where I want to eat. There is this one restaurant called "Cabbages and Condoms". Here is a website that explains the interesting name of the place. www.sli.unimelb.edu.au/pda/ccrest.htm

My co-worker also recommended the Q-Bar and Pawandang (sp?) as great places to eat. Then there is the Grand Palace, the Golden Mount, Laying Buddah, Chinatown, MBK shopping center, Jim Thompson's house that are a must see. So if you have any other suggestions on where to go and what to see in Bangkok I would greatly appreciate it!

Vanna White

After my class on Monday I think I can relate a little to what Vanna White feels like on "whee of fortune". All I did was use my finger to hit the computer button for the power point while my co-worker talked and lectured. I only got about 15 minutes of talking in while my co-worker (who was sick and feverish, but still wouldn't give up control) talked most of the time. All I needed was the sequined dress like Vanna since I was already wearing heels. I wonder if she ever gets tired of being just an assistant?

Another hat

For the past 12 days I have showed up to work every night. It seemed like I was living at my workplace. Even my supervisor noticed how much I spend up there and tease me about living in a back room. But this week I get a break from work, instead I will put on another at . . . the teacher's cap. For the next three days a co-worker and I will be tag-teaming in teaching at our in-house academy. Now I've never taught the topics that we'll be covering this week, but I deal with it every night at work. The various databases and access that I have at work is what will be taught in class this week. Last time I taught a class the subject was very simple and I thought it could be taught in an hour instead it ended up being 2 hours and I didn't even have activities planned. For this week, my co-worker and I planned it within three weeks using the previous teacher's power-point presentation and modifying it to fit our teaching style.

Right now however, I feel like I am just the "Vanna White" in this team and my co-worker is Pat Sayjack. He does the speaking and interacting while I just point and smile. LOL My co-worker definitely put in more time and effort into this, he is more of a teacher than me. I admire that in him but at the same time I feel like I am not doing much. Tomorrow is the first day and so we shall see how it goes. We have 3x more the people in this class than in the previous class, so more personalities are brought in. The interaction will be interesting to see. I think I might just have to wear my sassy red shoes tomorrow. After all I'm going from being a graveyard person to a morning person, which is enough of a change to shake me up. So who knows what my comfort level will be in the morning? I'll let you know how the day goes.

Countdown

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I'm here

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I am still alive continuing on my 12 day work week. The Pastor whose house my cousin and I will be staying in Bangkok is visiting us this week, so I'm getting plenty of information on Bangkok. So far I am looking forward to the food, the various palaces and the fact that they have 3 Build-A-Bear stores in Bangkok. Sebstien (my ever faithful companion) will definitely be sporting an Asian outfit when he comes back. One of the books I read about on solo traveling suggested that you bring one totally impractical item from home to help ease the homesickness, for me it is my bear. It may seem a tad silly at times for a grown woman to be carrying a teddy bear, but Sebastien is my comfort and he gives really good hugs. I've also discovered that no matter how brown and Asian I may look, as soon as I open my mouth my accent will give me away as being American. Now the practical solution to blending in would be for me to just not open my mouth, but we all now how futile that will be. LOL So instead I have a Phrase book on Thai and Cantonese (when I get to Hong Kong that is their main language) that I am studying and trying to memorize some Key Phrases. Things like "hello", "good-bye", "please", "thank you", "what is that?", "where is the bank" and of course the most important phase to learn in any language "where is the toilet".

Church anniversary

Today our church celebrated its 6th Anniversary. The church has gone a long way from being held in a house or garage to a barn with no wall to what is it is today. A real building with walls, lighting, carpets and a nice altar area. We had a special guest singer-Eddi Mesa, who is famous in the Philippines and among the Filipinos. He used to be called the "Elvis of the Philippines" with his voice and singing style. Several friends from other churches attended this event. We started it by baptizing 8 church members. Then it was off to fellowship and share what God had done to our church. The guest speaker was very long winded and his sermon (which our Pastor to him to limit his sermon to 20-30 min!) lasted almost 45 min. By the time we got to the good stuff of eating it was 1:30pm and the services started at 10am! But the fellowship was great and so was the food, which I didn't really have any because I was too busy socializing. There was plenty of people there that I hadn't seen in years, some from our old church and friends from out of town. I think everyone had a good time even if the services was 3 hours long! Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Just Jane

I have been a big fan of Jane Austen's work ever since I read Pride & Prejudice and fell in love with Mr. Darcy. That book got me hooked on her writing and I continued on reading Sense & Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Emma, Lady Susan and Sandition. My favorite hero's are Mr. Darcy in P&P and Mr. Knightly in Emma, I like how they are so secure in who they are and their place in this world yet it isn't like they are perfect because they still have flaws. Their counterparts are rather inspiring ladies too. Elizabeth Bennett with her strong personality and Emma, a character you could watch grow into maturity while reading her story, they both balance out the men they fall in love with.

I just finished reading this book, Just Jane:A novel of Jane Austen's Life by Nancy Moser. Now I've read books on people writing about what happened to the main character or secondary character in Jane Austen's books. For the most part they are ok and a decent reading but the writing style is still different and the characters don't seem like they are in the original book that Jane wrote. But this book Just Jane focuses on the author herself and is like an autobiography in fictional form. The book starts when Jane is around 20 or so and doesn't really mention her childhood unless it is a memory. I won't spoil it for you but I must say that the author does use letter written by Jane Austen and spins a good story about how Jane truly became a writer. She doesn't just portray Jane as a "perfect" character but shows her flaws like all human beings. You can read about how selfish Jane was at times and how her relationship with her sister-in-laws and parents. But at the same time the author does a good job of portraying the passion Jane has for writing and how the characters in her stories grow in her mind.

It was an excellent book and I highly recommend it. It is a nice night time, right before bed and relaxing reading.