Find Happiness

In the Declaration of Independence from our founding fathers:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

As we see in the modern days, "extra pleasure of owning these grander homes is muted... added debt to buy the house may make us more anxious; and we may regret sacrificing some leisure. Money can't buy happiness. We ultimately get satisfaction from our relations with family and friends, the love we give or receive, the meaning we find in work, service, religion or hobbies. Happiness depends heavily on individual character and national culture. Some people will complain no matter how great their fortune; others will smile through the worst of times. "

May you find your happiness in life.

Free Things to Do in Washington, D.C.

So many fun things to do, so little time! and not all of them cost that much money. There are many free things to do in Washington, D.C. There are many cultural events. Take advange of them while you can. Kennedy Center has free millennium stage performances every day. you can also get a beautiful view on the roof.


They have lectures and tours at the museums. Many of them are funded by your tax dollars, so take advange of them. If you're more of an outdoor kind of person, there are also many outdoor activities as well. There's something for everyone, so check out the list! Live your life. Enjoy!

DIY - Canoeing in the Wild

We have been to white water rafting and kayaking before, but this is nothing like it! We took a self guided 3 hrs canoe trip downstream of the Hillsborough River. The scenery was beautiful. We saw wild animals right in front of us. We saw roseatte spoonbill, black crowned heron, great blue heron, great white heron, anhinga, and black vultures eating a dead wild hog. We went by a field of water lilies and Wesley saw a 15 inches catfish. Nice place to go fishing.

We had to learn to canoe between the tree logs and to communicate the steer movement between the front and the back of the boat. It was adventurous. Pay attention and know where is the pick up point so you won't get lost. This was way better than the water ride at the theme parks.

Paddler Wesley and the great blue heron on the tree trunk
white ibis looking for food This was our canoe. Arrived safely and sat comfortably in the seat rest
The month of May is the peak of alligator mating season. We could hear their calling, but we didn't see any alligator on this trip. It sounds like this - Alligators2 and Alligators3.

In the fall/winter, there are even more birds as they migrate south, and in the spring as they migrate back north. It's just like the National Geographic Channel live in front of you.

DIY Travel - San Francisco, Tahoe, Yosemite

San Francisco

San Francisco has so much to offer. There are many outdoor things to do, events and fab restaurants. There are many great places to hike with fabulous views, such as hikes by the Cliff House, Land's End, China Beach - coastal trail






While you're in San Francisco, you getta try the meditation class. It's a very spiritual thing to do. The abbot talked about the three poisons of the mind - anger, greed and ignorance. Meditation seeks mindful awareness of the body and seeks balance, internal peace and harmony. Realize that all actions have consequences or karma. Work diligently to become patient, generous, compassion, tolerant, and have peaceful mind - which is nirvana.

San Francisco also has so many yummy Asian food. Oh my god, so many choices and so good.

* JapanTown in San Francisco - Suzu Noodle's vegetarian Ramen is sooooo good. Also try the Mochi shop and the crepe store. You getta love how Japanese restaurants show imitated food sample in the window so you can see what you're getting :) Picture is worth a thousand words. Don't forget to go to the Japanese dollar store upstairs!

* Japantown San Jose

* Cha-ya vegetarian Japanese cuisine - avocado roll is our favorite. Cha-ya noodle is my favorite.

* Korea Tofu House at Cupertino or Todam Tofu House at San Bruno. Tofu soup is served in a clay pot which keeps the tofu soup hot for a long time, with a choice of rice. Korean food comes with many plates of appetizers so you won't go hungry for long.In the 99 Ranch plaza, Fantasia is one of the original boba tea in the area and it's still our favorite. The tea is fresh, not too sweet, and lightly fragrant. The boba is chewy. Our second favorite bubble tea is Quickly. Try their Jasmin milk bubble tea.

* Vegetarian House in San Jose. Their noodle soup is good.

* Sogo Tofu organic soy for fresh soy bean drink and dou hua.

* Shanghai Dumpling Shop for brunch. They have sweet or savory soy bean milk, rice roll, and of course Shanghai steamed dumplings.

* Sheng Kee Bakery and Marina plaza

These are few of my observations of the San Francisco metropolitan area:
* There are many Internet and high tech companies there (Apple, Yahoo, Google, Oracle, HP, Sun Microsystems), but when you drive by, all you see is just their buildings. The net worth is in the intellectual capital and the ideas. Start working on your pitch to the venture capitalists. Several universities there brings in young talents and research & development. The traffic can be bad, but it's just like any other metropolitan area. The housing and gas price are higher, but just live in a smaller place. Good food and great outdoor activities make up for it. Zen meditation center is easily accessible.
* There's a little earthquake here and there. You're aware of the danger, but you try not to worry too much about it.

Be prepared for disasters, have a plan, and know what to do after an earthquake. * Keep shoes and a working flashlight next to each bed. * Know how to turn off the gas, water, and electricity to your home. * Install smoke alarms and fire extinguishers. * Store water and food supplies.

* Californians are big on environmental and recycle. After you visit the thousand years old sequoia trees and the clear Lake Tahoe, you realized the importance of saving our environment through every little things we do.

Lake Tahoe

South Lake Tahoe, CA is about 4 hours away from San Francisco. Rent or bring your GPS. The Sierra Nevada Mountain is just beautiful, and the lake is so clear.

This is the view from where we stayed in Stateline, Nevada, Harrah's Lake Tahoe. Harveys Lake Tahoe is actually closer to the lake, but both has higher floors so you can request a lake view. You can also dine on the 18th floor with this view at the Forest Buffet. Breakfast is from 8-11AM for $11. Dinner starts at 5pm. Go when it opens so you can get the good table with a view. Wes likes their sirloin steak. I like their small fruit and chocolate mousse desert.

This is the view from the Lakeside Beach, end of the Stateline Ave. Fresh mountain air and pristine lake with a snow cap mountain view, like the Alps of Europe. I didn't know such beautiful place exist here.

Forget about the commericalized Starbucks, Alpen Sierra Coffee has really good caramel coffee, free wireless Internet, and comfortable sittings.

Pony Express used to come through Lake Tahoe during 1860's to delivery mails. We have come a long way to deliver e-mails in split seconds.

Yosemite National Park

Make your reservation in the Yosemite Valley, such as the Curry Village, as soon as you can. Preferred rooms are booked up early. You can cancel it seven days before departure if you book it through DNC. When you step out of the room, you're right in the middle of the park by Yosemite village valley floor. The view is just absolutely gorgeous. It costs more to stay on the valley floor, but it'll save you time to travel into the park through difficult mountain roads. It usually takes about two hours to drive into the park. When you vacation, time is money.

Accommodations in Yosemite at Curry Village include 18 standard motel rooms, 100 cabins with private baths, three Specialty Cabins with baths, 80 cabins with central bath houses and 427 canvas tent cabins. TripAdvisor reviewers had some bad reviews of the public shower house, but it shouldn't be a suprise if you camped before. There's a good group of candid traveler photos. We stayed at Curry Village's Standard Motel Room/Stoneman Cottage since that was the only option left with private bathroom. For your comfort, book the room with a private bath. The room is very very basic, towels, sheets, blanket and pillows are provided. Bring your own hair dryer. They'll ask you to remove all food out of your car for the night since you're in the bear country. We saw bear #46 in the woods by the creek in the afternoon. Curry Village Dining offers reasonable food. The Greek pizza special is good. You can watch sports games with beers in the dining area. Check out the Visitor Center to see an award winning movie about Yosemite. There's also a museum that shows the age of tree rings and the Indian culture. You can also find a well stocked grocery store and a Bank of America ATM. You can rent a bike at the Yosemite Lodge or the Curry Village to bike around the valley. Get gas before you enter the park. Free shuttles are available in the park to take you to spots.

Lower Yosemite Falls (easy) - waterfall runs in the spring and early summer from the melted snow.

During the summer, Mist Trail, Vernal Falls (3 hours, 3 miles roundtrip) and Nevada Falls are fun. Or you can drive to the Glacier Point for a panorama view.

If you're in good shape and not afraid of height, try the Half Dome (May-Oct). The whole trip is 17 miles, 12 hours, so start your day early, pack drinks and food, and prepare to spend the night in the valley. Check out sunrise, sunset and new moon schedule, so you can plan your hikes.

Walk between giants

Mariposa Grove is the park's largest stand of giant sequoias, with about 500 trees. Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias is about 1.2 hour drive from the yosemite valley. Hike about 1 mile (if the access road is open) to the Bachelor and Three Graces, Grizzly Giant (estimated 2,700 years old) and California Tunnel Tree. Expect to spend 4-5 hours if you want to complete the loop.

Fearless.... in Love, Work, and Life

The blog, the Huffington Post, started by Arianna Huffington has several interesting take aways.
- Facing that fear. Be fearless. Build fearless muscles. Don't be afraid of failure. Do what you want to do. Don't settle.
- No critical voices. Take control of your obnoxious roommate in your head.
- Use humor.
- Angle flies because they take themselves lightly.
- Women learn to accept our body.
- Surround yourself with people who believe you. Build tribe of friends and family who love you unconditionally.
- Not comparing yourself to others.
- Have more gratitude. Appreciate what God gives you.

Life Lessons Quotes

I've learned that deciding whom you marry is the most important decision you'll ever make. - age 95

I've learned that you shouldn't expect life's very best if you're not giving it your very best. - age 51

I've learned that if you depend on others to make you happy, you'll be endlessly disappointed. - age 60

I've learned that you can never have too many friends. - age 16

I've learned that if you wait until all conditions are perfect before you act, you'll never act. - age 64

I've learned that if you care, it shows. - age 50

I've learned that if love isn't taught in the home, it's difficult to learn it anywhere else. - age 51

Knock on Wood Joke

Three sisters ages 72, 74, and 76 live in a house together.

One night the 76 year old draws a bath. She puts her foot in and pauses. She yells down the stairs "was I getting in or out of the bath?"

The 74 year old yells back "I don't know. I'll come up and see." She starts up the stairs and pauses. Then she yells "was I going up the stairs or down?"

The 72 year old is sitting at the kitchen table having tea listening to her sisters. She shakes her head and says "I sure hope I never get that forgetful." She knocks on wood for good measure.

She then yells "I'll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who's at the door".

Sophisticated Farmers

Between the big cities, Tampa and Orlando, in Plant City, FL, there are wild roosters pecking by the side of the road, Angus cattle farms, and strawberry fields with workers. In the mist of this traditional farm community, there are innovations and cultural activities taking place.

Through an ad, we found a hydro farm where you can pick your own strawberry. We went to check it out and found that it's a really innovative method to grow organic fruits, herbs, and vegetables without pesticide. When the plants are stacked up, you can grow 15 acres worth of strawberries in a half acre farm. It's easier to manage, cleaner, and you just just have to feed them three times a day through a pipe system. This organic lifestyle seems doable in my own backyard. Try organic strawberry without pesticide.

Just down the street, follow the billboard and the signs, there's Keel & Curley Winery in Plant City. It reminds us of the Napa Valley. There's a tasting room, wine tour, and beautiful backyard to enjoy the wine and the beautiful weather. They have an unique blend of wine with fruits, and we love dessert wines. If you have a chance to meet Chase, the winemaker, he'll tell you the fascinating story of how they started and their trials and tribulations.

A day in the farm reminds me of how life used to be without video games and tv. Just sit there quietly, listening to the wind rustling through the leaves, birds chirping, and watching how the sun shines on the earth.

Find your local hydroponic farm here.

Set goals in life

“The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work,” Oprah Winfrey.

High Tech Gadgets found in Japan

Actually... this is an awkward topic :p In our last trip to Japan, we found this high tech toilet (bidet, hygiene seat) in the spa bathroom. We tried it, separately, and it was a nice surprise. It's a rear wash. It was refreshing and clean feeling. After a little research, it's supposed to make you healthier too. It's amazing what you find in other part of the earth!

Almost like Heaven...

As we're in the tax season, some of our hard earned money go to pay for the public library system. If you haven't check it out recently, you may have a really nice library in your community. Everyone should have a library card. You can read all kinds of newspapers, magazines, and books. You can borrow audio books so you can listen to them during your long commute to work or travel. You can borrow latest movies on DVD. If you have any subjects you would like to learn, you can probably find a new book on the subject. If you don't have a computer at home, you can use it in the library. Now and days, you can do almost everything on the Internet, and you can have information over load. On the other hand, library offers credible and valuable source of information. Knowledge is power, and it depends on what you do with it. Forget about Barnes and Nobles, Boarders, and Blockbuster. The nice thing about library is that you don't have to pay to check out materials, unless it's over due. All these wealth of material like Wesley said, it's... almost like heaven!

Gasparilla Party in Tampa

Gasparilla Mardi Gras Party!

Pirate ships and Mardi Gras beads!

Restaurants in Washington D.C. area

Top 10 Chinese Restaurants from WTOP news:

1. A&J Restaurant -- 1319 Rockville Pike, Rockville.
2. Foong Lin -- 7710 Norfolk Avenue, Bethesda.
3. Grace's Fortune -- 15500 Annapolis Rd., Bowie.
4. House of Dynasty 7550 Telegraph Rd., Alexandria.
5. Hunan Delight -- 18220 Village Center Drive, Olney.
6. Jasmine's Chinese Restaurant -- 110 South St. Market Station, Leesburg.
7. Mark's Duck House -- 6184 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church.
8. Meiwah -- 1200 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.
9. Peking Gourmet Inn -- 6029 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church. (Among the favorites is Peking Gourmet Inn on Leesburg Pike in Falls Church, a restaurant known to be frequented by former President George H.W. Bush and his son, former President George W. Bush. The "Bush menu" often included the restaurant's signature Peking Duck. )
10. P.F. Chang's -- multiple locations
    
    

Our favorite Thai restaurants are:

- Sawatdee 2250 Clarendon Boulevard, at Courthouse Road, Courthouse Plaza (703)243-8181 Court House Metro.Open 11.30am-10pm Mon-Thur; 11.30am-10.45pm Fri; noon-10.45pm Sat;4.30-10pm Sun.

- Thai Pilin 8385 Leesburg Pike (pass Tysons Corner Mall)Vienna, VA(703) 556-9191 lunch price is a better deal. Close Sunday.

- Thai Square Restaurant (703) 685-7040 3217 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA

Chinese:

Chopstix at Rockville - Taiwanese breakfast starts at 11 AM on the weekend. 4 N Washington St. Rockville, MD 20850 (301) 762-8810

Chopstix at Gaithersburg - family style meals. Also breakfast on the weekend. 820 Muddy Branch RdGaithersburg, MD 20878(301) 330-8886

Peking Village - good authentic food
2962 Gallows Rd. Falls Church, VA 22042 (703)698-9220

Good Fortune Restaurant
2646 University Blvd W. Wheaton, MD 20902 (301)929-8818 M-Th 11:30a-1a Fri 11:30a-2a Sat 11-2a Sun 11-1a

Weekend Dim Sum at Oriental East Restaurant, 1290 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-608-0030

Yuan Fu Vegetarian (301) 762-5938 798 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD Sun-Thu 11-10p, Fri-Sat 11-10:30p

Sunflower Restaurant 2531 chain bridge road, vienna VA 22181 (703) 319-3888 11:30a-10p Sun 12a-10p Micro Center Computer Store is down the street.

A&J Restaurant 1319-C Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 301-251-7878, or 4316-B Markham St. Annandale, VA 703-813-8181

Eden Center (a little run down, but authentic Vietnamese food)
- Huong Viet Restaurant, 6785 Wilson Blvd, Falls Church,VA 22044, (703) 538-7110, bubble tea is good here too. Fri-Sat 10-11p, Sun-Thur 10-10p
- Bubble tea at Kim Phung Bakery (703) 534-4525
- Thanh Son Tofu - fresh dou-hua, tofu, and soy bean drink, made daily. 6793 Wilson Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22044 (703) 534-1202

CAKE - Stella Bakery 11510 D Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD (301) 231-9026 Tu-Fri 8-7, Sat 9-6, Sun 9-5, close Mon. Call ahead during summer, they usually take the whole Aug. off! Grand Marnier, chocolate mousse cake are the best in the U.S.!

Buffet
Todai - Sushi, Japanese noodle, salad, hot food, barbeque, fruits, cake. about $16/lunch

Grocery stores:
- Maxim 460 Hungerford Dr. Rockville, MD (301) 279-0110
- Kam Sam Supermarket, 300 N. Washington St., Rockville, MD 301.315.9558
- H Mart - Grand Mart Grocery, 5900 Centreville Crest Ln., Centreville, VA 703.266.2220

Other recommendations

Reviews

Guidance in Life

In times of difficulties and discord, I turn to Joel Osteen. I grow up as Buddhist and raised to be a good person and productive member of our society. Then one day, I saw Joel Osteen on TV. I was just listening to his advice, motivation and guidance in life, and it really helped me through difficult things. I try to be more patient, understanding, compassionate, and look at the big picture and relationships in life. This doesn’t mean that I’m a perfect human being, but I’m working hard toward it. I believed in spiritual guidance that good gods want to help you live a happier life, regardless of which god, so God and Buddha can substitute for each other. I guess now I’m a Christian Buddhist J If you’re interested, check out his free broadcast on-line or TV. Thought I share this with you in case you’re looking for more ways to live happier! Have a happy life together!

U.S. Policy on Asia

My new found respect for Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC), and Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI).

Here's a little history about the political unstability in Asia that can influence global economy...

Other Famous American from Taiwan

New York Yankees baseball team's starting pitcher, Chien-Ming Wang

Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo!

Other businesses run or co-founded by Taiwanese Americans include Yahoo!, Viewsonic, Nautica, Nvidia, Garmin, Newegg.com, and YouTube.

Elaine Chao, U.S. Secretary of Labor

Founder of Garmin is from Taiwan

One of the most popular technology gifts this year is Garmin GPS. After looking at the company, the co-founder, Dr. Min Kao, is from Taiwan! Here's an interesting story of how they got started.

2006 Year In Review

Happiest of New Year to you!

Peace, joy and love to you and your family!

2006 Year In Review

- Wesley is working for Bailey Family Foundation, an organization that gives out college scholarships.
- Mary is working for LMI, a not-for-profit consulting firm.
- Sold our VA house finally!
- Moved to Tampa, Florida where Wesley can play a lot of tennis matches :)

Travel
- Trip to Hawaii, Taipei, Las Vegas-Grand Canyon-Sedona-Scottsdale, and NYC.
- Attempt to watch the space shuttle launch at the Kennedy Space Center.
- Busch Garden, Discovery Cove, Sea World, and Universal Studio.

Births - 4 girls and 2 boys, but not from us! :)
Our friend Jennifer & Ming had Jessica (Jan), Rachel & Chris had Christina (Sept), Angela & Leo had Julianne (Aug), Cristina & Marcel had Mark (Dec), Jin-Ee and Chuong had Andrew (Dec), Sue & Alan had Tiffany (Dec).

Wedding
Our friends Nguyen & Trang got engaged. Karen Maley got married. Cousin Jessica got married. College friend Yoko is engaged to a lucky guy :)

We look forward to hearing from you throughout the year!

Movie of the Week: Invincible

If you're looking for a good inspirational movie, check out Invincible with Mark Wahlberg. This movie also shows me football can be like going to battle with your team mates. Be tough, play rough. Friendships are formed. Tactics are played.

It's a true story about how a man went through a really tough times during the 70's and his wife left him. But despite the risk of failure, he took the chance to pursue his dream and his passion with his talent. He had a group of family and friends who believed in him and supported him. If you have a dream, give everything you got. It's kind of like the Rocky Balboa. You may fall down, but you get up. Be generous, kind, tough, play rough, play with heart and passion!

Happy New Year of 2007!!!

360 degree view of new year at Taipei 101. or click on the new year drop down for other cities around the world.

Click, hold mouse button down and drag in any direction-Zoom in SHIFT-out CTRL - QuickTime Needed. It's kind of cool, like you're looking up into the sky yourself!

Happiest of New Year to you! Peace, joy and love to you and your family!

You're Live on National TV!

On Christmas Day, we went to Universal Studio's Islands of Adventure. In the park, they were taping NBC iVillage Live, a live TV broadcasting show. In the beginning, we were just there to get the free lunch voucher, but it turned out to be an awesome experience! We saw how a TV show is produced and had our 5 seconds of fame with back of our heads on a live national broadcast :)

All of the hosts were very personable. Wesley got to sit next to the nice blonde host as she prepared for her talk. You've got to experience a live show once in your life, it's a lot of fun! They just ask you to clap and create a lot of excitment and energy.

We used the voucher and ate at the Hard Rock Cafe, Orlando. They have really good veggie burgers and they have a lot of cool real memorabilia from the rock stars. Visit the Elvis room on the second floor. Very cool!

Beautiful Shades of Purple

Safari sunrise
Matt Duffy
Alta Loma, CA

Important things in life...

Important things in life...
- birthdate
- grow up to be the person you want to be
- family
- friends
- falling in love
- engagement
- wedding
- birth of children
- birth of grandchildren
so on and so forth...

Middle class squeeze

The Bible belt voted for Bush thinking he'll do what's right for our country. In 1998, we had a budget surplus of $70 billion. Now, we have $8.4 "trillion" deficit. Bush may have good intentions, but his team doesn't make the right decisions overall for our country. Katrina made us a laughing stock of the world. We're supposed to be rich and powerful, instead of like a third world country. Bush needs to take better care of the middle class and the poor, instead of his rich friends (they don't need help, do they?) For example, Michael D. Brown, the head of FEMA from 2003 to 2005.

Human civilization went from the agriculture revolution, to the industrial revolution, and now to the digital revolution. In this new knowledge economy and in this new globalize market, education is the leverage we have in order to compete against other country. But our school system and family economic pressures are not up to par with our American dream. Since 2000, it's harder to send our kids through college, with decreased assistance and increased tuition. Education is a way to break the cycle of poverty. Lower class may have a way out, if you sign up to join the military, they will pay for your tuition.

God bless our troops and our intelligence agents. And God bless their family. We haven’t another tragedy like 9.11 yet, but I don’t feel safer in the world today. And seems like there are more Islamic extremist around the world who hate us even more.

Bottom line, Bin Laden hasn't been caught for what he did to us in 9.11, and the costs of living (housing, education, transportation) increase significantly while overall wage stagnant. Middle and lower income class are living a high pressured and stressful life (horrible traffic and long commute), and they are just trying to do the best for their family day by day. America, we need to go back to the basics -- protect our homeland, and improve education so we can better compete in this new service and knowledge economy.

DIY Travel: Los Angeles

Whenever we're in LA, we love to stop by Ranch 99 plaza. You can find authentic Taiwanese food and bubble tea near by the area.

Hacienda Heights
1625 Azusa Ave.Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
(626) 839-2899
Hours: 9:00 AM - 9:30 PM(7 days)

Rowland Heights Store
1015 S. Nogales Street, Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 964-5888
Hours: 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM(7 days)

You can also visit new Chinatown or Little Tokyo.

Din Tai Fung dumplings reviews.

Once you satisfy your tummy, walk through Hollywood Boulevard. Look down at the stars beneath your feet and find your favorite celebrity in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Go to Grauman's Chinese Theatre court, looked at the stars' footprints in cement. We saw Ryan Seacrest, host of American Idol, giving Hollywood tours and posing photo ops with his fans. Needless to say, we were starstruck!

If you can get the tickets in advance, go see Jay Leno in person at the Tonight Show.

It's also fun driving through the Beverly Hills, look at the mansions, and see if you can spot any stars.

UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) is also near by. Go Bruins.

DIY Travel - Wild West Tour: Las Vegas - Sedona - Pheonix

We rent a van, went on a road trip, and drove across the wild west! Walked the path of Dean Martin and John Wayne at Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Sedona and Pheonix.

Las Vegas, Nevada

• Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada


• As soon as you step out of the plane into LAS airport, there's no airport like it! You can hear the ca-ching sounds and see the big JumboTrons all over the wall as you find your luggage. Lights! Glamour! Actions!


• On the Strip (Las Vegas Blvd South), we loved walking through Bellagio


• Magic shows - Lance Burton, David Copperfield, Xtreme Magic Starring Dirk Arthur


• Las Vegas Outlet Shopping - get the coupon book at the info desk if you're a AAA member. My parents love this outlet.


• Long Life Vege Restaurant was delicious!


• Veggie Delight had the most authentic food, it's like eating home food. We liked their noodle soup and seasoned tofu & seaweed. There's a bread store around the corner that's pretty good too. There are many Asian stuff in that area.


• All you can eat buffet at Souper Salad was a good deal


• South Coast Hotel's room was by far the best with flat screen TV and beautifully decorated. The hotel looks brand new. Luxury stay for decent price. It's not on the strip, but it's not outrageous priced either. They have a nice pool with Bose speakers to hang out and relax in the sun. They have a big parking garage on the side. It's not far from the strip, it’s south of the strip, but if you have a GPS, it's easier to know where to turn. You'll pass the outlet and walmart grocery store is near by. Traffic on the Strip is not too bad if you don't drive at night during the peak time. Parking is not a problem. All of the casino allow you to park for free, so you can spend some money there.


• There are many Walmart supercenter to stock up on drinks

Hoover Dam

Grand Canyon, Arizona - South Rim

• Grand Canyon is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world.


• Admission is good for a week, and you can come in and out.


• Canyon View Information Plaza by Mather Point has nice facilities and souvenir store


• Rooms in the park fill up fast, so book it as soon as you can. Nothing like the views by the rims. Maswik Lodge is not by the rim, but it's clean and quiet. We liked the cafeteria there the most. We also enjoyed interacting with the international exchange co-ops students.


• Their free shuttle bus is convenient, but slow. It's the only way to get to the Hermits Rest Route. Drive your own car if you're trying to catch the sunrise so you won't miss it by the seconds.


• Walk around the rim to look at the Grand Canyon in all different angles. You can spot the Colorado River, mull trails, and birds. Prepare to take lots of pictures.


• Grand Canyon looks different during sunrise or sunset. The colors magnified. During certain days, you can catch sunrise and moonset at the same time.


• If you want to take a break from walking, check out the National Geographic's IMAX theatre, located just outside of the park.


• We went there during Labor Day week, to miss the summer vacation crowds and before school tours show up. The weather was chilly especially for the sunrise, so bring warm jackets.

Sedona, Arizona

• Sedona has amazing landscapes.


• Matterhorn Lodge was comfy and has a nice view.


• Tlaquepaque shopping center is nice to walk around for artworks, crafts and jewery.
• Because of the beautiful scenaries, Sedona and Pheonix used to be the movie capital with John Wayne's cowboy and wild west movies, which are my dad's favorite. It was neat, he happened to catch one of tv while we were there!

Scottsdale, Pheonix

• For good food, go to Pei Wei Asian Diners.


• Scottsdale Resort & Conference Center was super nice. Be sure to ask for the room facing the golf course for beautiful views. We walked around their promenade to casitas, and had a nice swim in the pool at night. It was super relaxing, a nice way to end the trip.

View on Immigration

On 25 Oct. 2006, I saw this headline on CNN.com, "Dobbs: Middle class victims of illegal immigration." Rather, I think it's the lower class that is the victim of illegal immigrants.

I saw illegal immigrants standing on the streets looking for jobs and working for less than minimum wage. Middle class are crunched for cash and always looking for deals at Walmart. Unless you want to pay a lot to build your house or to buy your vegetables, I think most American benefit from this pool of hard working labor.

I don't think they're taking jobs away from American. They're doing jobs nobody wants to do. Let's not forget, we're living in a competitive globalized world and capitalist society. We should change our policy and law to adjust to the reality and implement a working visa program for them. If we have a work program, foreign workers can apply for it; and if they don't have criminal background, they should be allow to travel through boarder safely. Young women are risky their safety and lives in order to find a job in America. If they work in America for more than a decade and became Americanized, they're hard working and law abiding citizen, they can apply for citizenship. If they don't have anyone to vouch for them, or if they're dangerous to our society, then we don't want them on our streets.

Do-it-yourself (DIY) Travel: New York City tour

Central Park

Nintendo store by Rockefeller Center where you can see the new Wii.

Walking in NYC

Naked Cowgirl in Time Square.

only in America... you gotta love it!

... and the cowboy

Chinatown

Drive
Don't leave home without an EZ-Pass, if you're driving to NYC. It reduces wait time at toll significantly.

Hotel
Stay at Fairfield Inn East Rutherford Meadowlands, NJ with Marriott (join club and use the points to stay for free) so you don't have to drive into downtown and get stressed out. Hampton Inn is also nearby. We requested a room facing the meadows (versus facing the street), it was quiet and we had a good sleep. Free Internet and free breakfast with coffee, juice, bagels, milk, cereal, yogart, banana, CNN, newspaper, etc. Sofa and carpet need to be replaced though. If you use GPS, be sure to plug in this address instead, else GPS will take you to a marina out of no where. 10 Murrayhill Parkway, East Rutherford, NJ 07073. Here's the hotel review.

Transportation to NYC

There's a bus stop right in the front of the hotel. Bus 163/164 Local! will take you to Time Square via Port Authority in just 15-20 min. depending on the wait time in Lincoln Tunnel. It costs $3.10 per person, one way. Hotel is at East Rutherfod (Paterson Ave. at Hackensack St.) and you get off at New York Port Authority bus Terminal. The bus was very puntual and notice the gate and time frame where you catch your bus back to the hotel. Be sure to ask the hotel check in desk for the bus schedule and subway map.

Subway
Once you're in the Port Authority, you can buy 1 day unlimited pass is $7 in newstand stores. Use care when entering the station through turnstyle, because you can only go into station once like every 15 mins. (to prevent multi-people from using just one pass). Once you figure out how to ride subway, it's fairly easy. One color might have various names/numbers, just depends on the final destination, but if you're just in Manhattan, names/numbers might not matter as long as you know if you're going in uptown, or downtown entrance. Streets are in grids. Horizontals are Streets. Vericals are Avenues. It may help to have a compass to you know which way is N / E / W / S. Common rules in major city applies -- don't walk alone at night, go where there are people around, casually notice your surroundings, watch out for thief who target your bag or wallet, and be casual and bend in like one of New Yorkers.

Be sure to wear comfy shoes and prepare to walk a lot.

It might look seem far to walk two or three blocks, but it's actually not too bad, if you're in good shape.

It's useful to have cell phone charged or a meeting place determined, since it's easy to get lost in the crowds.

Time Square
If it's a nice day, you can walk from Port Authority to Time Square on the street level. Time Square has a Toy R Us store, which is fun to visit. Go to basement for the game room and the magic tricks.
Virgin music store is still there. To find out about the origin of this store, read Virigin's founder entrepreneur Richard Branson's fasinating book.
Nakes Cowboys, Cowgirl, and various drummer and entertainers are in various street corners. Leave some change in your pocket makes it easier if you want to tip them, so you don't have to take out your whole wallet.

Watch out for crazy taxi drivers and pedistrian lights to cross the street. With all the stores and things to look at, it's easy not to pay attention where is safe to take the next step.

5th Ave.
To save your energy, take the subway to 5th Ave. and 59 St. by Central Park. If you've seen trees, ponds, and grass, it might be more fasinating to walk on 5th Ave instead. Walk toward south, you'll see Apple store, Trump Tower where Apprentice was filmed, and Tiffany (bathrooms at upstair are really nice) - Breakfast at Tiffany's movie was filmed there. After a few blocks, you can get to Radio City, and Rockefeller Center to see the lights and people skating. walk by NBC Today's studio. Nintendo store is also by there, where you can see the new Wii.

As an American, if you have never visited Statue of Liberty, it's well worth it. Seeing and feeling what she symbolize, my experice was compariable to seeing 4th of July firework in Washington D.C. Also, you're not only taking a boat ride, but to experience how original immigrants feel like when they first arrive New York.

If you have time, you can catch a broadway shows. if you like ABBA music, Mamma Mia is really fun.

"Sex in the City" fans
If you're a "Sex in the City" fan, a show about four smart, pretty and fun girl friends looking for love, career success and life in NYC, you can find their spots in Manhattan. Carrie's apartment is at Upper East Side (245 east 73rd street, New York). The show grabs viewers, because the show is smart. It shows the depth of relationships in life. It's about young professional women looking for love and making choices about their lives. And it's fun to watch their life in NYC.

Thoughts
NYC is a densely populated place, so its easy to see the haves and have nots. It made me believe even more about the oppotunity to receive good education, and to work hard, because at the end of the day, it'll make a difference. Even if you have the dough, you still need the smarts to know what to do with it to keep it. If you have just enough, question is how do you maximize it to make your life most enjoyable. Live long and prosper as Spock says.

China Town
Take the subway down to Canal Street - China Town. Walk toward East to Mott Street for some authentic food. They have bubble tea, bakery, peking ducks, fruit/vege stands, restaurants and purses.
Restaurant Read revews on line. Buddha Bodai's snow pea tips was pretty good.
Don't buy any of the DVD from the street vendors, horrible quality and not worth the cost. However, if you look like tourist who like to shop, you might get invited to the secret back room where they sell look alike hip juicy purses. So to sum up, it was the ultimate NYC experience in one day.

Advice from Carly Fiorina - Maryland MBA

My advice is to give everything you've got to the job you have and recognize opportunity when it knocks. Don't be afraid to go after it.

Throughout my career, I have never spent time thinking about the next job. I've spent time doing the current job to the best of my ability. I did that when I was a secretary, and I did that when I was a CEO.

Choosing people is the most important choice a manager or leader makes. I put wrong people in wrong jobs, or left them in jobs for too long.

•The workplace is not gender blind, but women get further by focusing on possibilities, not limitations.
•Quarterly reports are a look through the rearview mirror. Focus on leading indicators such as customer-satisfaction trends.
•You can't make everyone happy. Leaders motivate people to do things they resist.
•Focus on the job, not the next promotion. When opportunity knocks, go for it.

About Fiorina
•Born Cara Carleton Sneed in Austin. Attended high schools in Ghana, England, North Carolina and California, because her father, a law professor and later a judge, moved a lot.
•B.A. in medieval history and philosophy, Stanford, 1976; MBA, University of Maryland, 1980; Master's in management, MIT Sloan School of Management, 1989.
•Married, two stepdaughters.
•Secretary at real estate investment brokerage company, 1976-77.
•Worked 20 years at AT&T and Lucent Technologies. CEO at HP 1999-2005. Fortune magazine's most powerful woman in business six years in a row, 1998-2003. Remains in top 10.

(Source: USA Today, October 16, 2006)

Travel

"Travel always transforms us - whether we like it or not - in subtle ways or in permanent ones. It gives us new perspectives, new ideas about ourselves and the world we live in."
Travel + Leisure Sept. 2006

I’m proud to be an American

God Bless the U.S.A.
By Lee Greenwood

If tomorrow all the things were gone I’d worked for all my life,
And I had to start again with just my children and my wife.
I’d thank my lucky stars to be living here today,
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom and they can’t take that away.

And I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land God bless the U.S.A.

From the lakes of Minnesota, to the hills of Tennessee,
across the plains of Texas, from sea to shining sea,
From Detroit down to Houston and New York to LA,
Well, there’s pride in every American heart,
and it’s time to stand and say:

I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land God bless the U.S.A.

Pretty Photos

taipei moment in space took your breath away

Taipei 101 at night

from this photo club
1-2-3 Taiwan/一二三 到臺灣, 臺灣有個阿里山

by Fishtail a great artist!