Man, these pictures are hella old!

Jay had the nerve to post some pics from back in the day! All you can do is laugh. There are some crazy ones of Q, Troy, Susan, Shasara, Chante' and more. ;)

Check 'em out!

Finally - Pictures from China!

Okay, so I went to China in July, and am just now getting around to posting all my pics. They can all be seen here - there are five albums, titled China 1-5.

Here are some of my favorites:

We began our journey in Beijing (Chante' and I). This is called the Temple of Heaven. It was one of my favorite spots in Beijing because there were more locals hanging out there than tourists. Locals play cards and music there, as well as do Tai Chi and ballroom dancing (a big hit in China since Mau's been out of the picture - when he was in power, people weren't allowed to dance).

We also went to a cool bar in Beijing where we heard live Chinese rock - way cool! This was how we knew it was the BAR. ;) The interior seemed to have some western influence, as you can see.

Execution blocks used by the emperor in Henan Province. The animal heads differed based on status: The rich were executed w/the dragon; the poor w/the dog; people from out of town w/the tiger.

The picture on the left was supposed to be the group photo of the Chinese people in the group - but you know Chante' and I - of course we jumped in! The Chinese group was a lot of fun. ;) Both of these were taken at the Yellow River - this sculpture is absolutely magnificent! We had this type of hazy sky through most of our trip. It was really humid. We finally saw some blue sky in Shanghai, the last stop of our trip.

Shaolin Temple was amazing! It was incredible to be in that place of so much history. Kung Fu was invented there by the Buddhist monks, but most of you probably know that already. ;)

The Longmen Grottoes were breathtaking, and this is such a very spiritual place because of the carvers' dedication to Buddha. The carvings range from pinky-size to larger-than life.

Old Louyang was my absolute favorite place of the whole trip. There were no tourists here and this place was very authentic. This is where I felt that I made the most connection w/the people.

In Xi'an we saw the Terra Cotta Warriors, but not before I drank some snake wine at the restaurant on-site.

I really loved Shanghai - it's an absolutely beautiful city! On our last night we got to see this spectacular Chinese Acrobatics show.

Needless to say, this was a life-changing experience. I think everyone's first time over-seas is. Hope you enjoy the photos! ;)

Sunday Reflection

It's been a great weekend. I just wish it wasn't over today. ;)

Had a nice night out w/Troy on Friday, since he was in town, then did a bunch of web design work yesterday. I put off my house-cleaning, so started that this morning. Now it's time for a homework marathon (math and history). I'm looking forward to that satisfied feeling when everything's done - housework, web work and homework.

Last weekend was Troy's b-day, so Quinlan, Marti and I went to SF to celebrate w/him and a bunch of his friends. What an amazing place! I just felt so inspired there. I've finally made a decision on where I want to transfer and I decided on SF State. It's terrifying and exciting all at the same time.

I've never had to experience the upheaval of moving to a new city, and at 32 I finally feel ready. I can't wait to experience something all new. I know that the axiom holds true, "Wherever you go, there you are," but I'm hoping that being completely free from all that's holding me back will inspire me to be the best I can be.

A lot of changes are happening now, and big change is never the most comfortable feeling in the world, but I'm excited to begin the journey. ;)

Goals, goals, goals

Right now I'm in such a great space. I love this feeling whenever it comes. I'm constantly changing my immediate life plan, but I feel like I'm on to something good this time.

It's such an amazing feeling to have a tangible dream, one that I can actually fulfill. It'll take a lot of work on my part, but if it means getting away from jobs that pay the bills but give no personal satisfaction - I'm all for it!

I've learned many many lessons from the people close to me. One that originated w/Troy, but that has become something of a mantra in our group, is not to let anything stand in the way of achieving your goals.

It's sounds easy enough, but before I could embrace it, I had to let go of a lot of fear. Which brings me to another group mantra, this one from Quinlan - "What would you do if you hadn't been afraid?"

I'm amazingly satisfied to be in this place, and am just counting down the months that I still have to work - I can't wait to begin living my real life!

Lots o' changes...

I just found out about a pretty huge change in my job yesterday. I do video surveillance and work in the Police Services unit. I work with great people, which is one of the most important things about any job.

Yesterday I was told that Facilities Maintenance has been assigned to oversee everything video-related, including my job.

Those of you who know how I feel about my job, know that my favorite thing is working w/the cops, as crazy as that sounds coming from me. They're just such a great group, as are the people I work with in the office. I'm not sure what types of changes this new management will bring.

Partly due to this, and partly due to a craving to live life to the fullest, my current thinking is to forget about persuing a degree / career in computers and do something a little more personally satisfying, even if that means not necessarily having a set career path. I think foreign language would be pretty amazing. That way I could study abroad and incorporate more travel into my education and career.

I'm so tired of feeling afraid to leave Sac and feeling confined to an education and career path that's tied to my current job. The news I received yesterday just made feel like I'd been released from it all.

And what an amazing feeling.

Easter Traditions and Coming Home

This Easter I went home. I grew up in Galt, where I found a group of amazing people. Strong bonds were forged during high school that have lasted over a decade.

For many years, this group has had an Easter tradition, introduced to us by our friend and his mom. It's an Assyrian tradition, which is too magical to describe here.

Actually, it's not the tradition itself that's magical, but instead it's the people that make it what it is. The tradition just helps to give the rest of us a glimpse of an ancient culture and a feeling of belonging. For the last few years, I haven't been to one Easter in Galt. This year I realized I've been missing it and finally went back. What an amazing homecoming! I feel so lucky to have such amazing people and experiences in my life, and I just wanted to share that with you. ;)

Pictures are posted here, under Easter.