Scared myself til 2 AM

I've got to start off with a back-story before getting into the main topic of my subject line: Golf had recorded a movie called The Zeitgeist - a small production and a very interesting documentary. The only part I watched with more than a grain of skepticism is the part on 9/11. The link takes you straight to the page where you can view the movie if you wish. The rest of the movie is fantastic and a real eye opener.

The Zeitgeist reminded me when I saw a lecture by Jordan Maxwell and consequently bought his video called Basic Slide Presentation. It shows nearly the same material, but it was produced 11 years earlier. I respect Mr. Maxwell's theories and every person should be aware of the topics covered in these two films. So I was exploring Mr. Maxwell's website and it said he would be on Coast to Coast AM on July 25th. I was eager to hear him since he always is so interesting!

I used to listen to this show all the time -- Art Bell talked me to sleep nearly every night and he used to have streaming audio from the previous night for free so I'd listen to the previous night's show in my cubicle at work. Now that Art has retired, George Noorey has taken over and I have to admit I don't listen much any longer. I can't when I get up so early every day and this show goes on from 10PM - 2AM.

I did make an exception last night though. Jordan Maxwell was going to be a guest with a few others when George Noorey was going to conduct a Ouija board experiment on the radio.

The more I listened, the more nervous about the whole thing I became. Two of the other guests were all for going through with it, but Jordan Maxwell was adamently against such an experiment. I do believe Ouija boards open up a portal into the spirit realm and as human beings, we don't know what's out there and what will come through that portal. When you sit in a room with microphones and broadcast your session to millions of people, you don't know what will happen -- you don't know who's listening and what state of mind they're in (there are so many people with varying degrees of mental and emotional stability).

I talked about this with Golf during the commercials. Thai people are superstitious and believe in this sort of thing -- probably even moreso than we westerners. He agreed that it would be a horrible and dangerous idea to broadcast a Ouija session on the radio. Because we were both feeling creepy, he got out a couple of the Buddhist amulets a monk had given us in Bangkok and we put one each on our bedside tables.

In the end, Noorey decided not to go through with the experiment. I'm relieved and I think I would have turned off the radio had he decided to continue. I just don't know what would happen and even if I concentrated and bathed myself in pure light, I'd still be worried if something should happen to those of us listening in and therefore participating in this Ouija board session.

By 1 AM he was taking calls, and many callers were people who had used a Ouija board before and two callers had stories so scary it gave me goosebumps. This stuff is scary and it's real and we don't think of such things much in our modern and materialistic society. There's a lot out there that we don't know about, but we should not dismiss it nor ignore it. We give it respect and focus on that part of it that is good through prayer, meditation, reflection or however you express your spirituality.

The show last night made me more introspective today. And sleepy too, since I had to put on another channel for nearly an hour before I could fall asleep.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

My friend Caroline is such a sweetie. Yesterday she went out and bought not only herself a copy of the new Harry Potter book, but one for me too! I would have gladly waited til she was done reading hers, or til my mother was done reading her copy, but nope, I get to start reading now! Lucky me! Here's a picture of what the UK book cover looks like. I'd rather read the UK version, since that's the original language of the author... Fortunately when I lived in Thailand, they have the British versions there, so I got to read the Order of the Phoenix, the British version.

I haven't gotten to enjoy a nice work of fiction for a long time and this is going to be a good one. This last installment of the Harry Potter series is nearly 800 pages long! Right now I'm on page 51. I'm so glad I don't have to study any more -- now I get up at 5:45 AM, put the coffee on and doze for 15 minutes while it brews. At 6 I pour myself a cup and sit down for an hour of ME time and enjoy my new book before I have to wake that boy up and start being a mommy for the day.

Don't worry, I won't write any spoilers to this book. And thanks again, Caroline!!! :)

Awoke with a jolt

This morning at 4:42 AM the earth rumbled from a 4.2 magnitude earthquake. I bolted upright in bed, heart hammering in my chest, Golf sleeping soundly next to me. He didn't know a thing. Apparently Aidan didn't know a thing either since there was no sound coming from his room. Surprisingly I was able to fall back asleep about 10 minutes later despite worries of aftershocks. Golf asked me when he woke up why one of the toys we're selling on eBay was on the floor. He was dumbfounded when I told him that an earthquake knocked it off the shelf! Well, once we move to Sacramento, we won't have to worry about earthquakes any more.

Today we went to Chinatown in Oakland so Golf could get a haircut and do some grocery shopping. One fruit that is in season right now is the lychee fruit. When I lived in Thailand, I would eat lychee, rambutan and longan fruits. I really miss those fruits, all of which are similar in that they are peeled and have a sweet, juicy white flesh with a seed in the middle. I ate a lot them, especially rambutans, when I was pregnant. So when I see lychee fruits for sale I buy them up, even if they are a little expensive. Golf and I have been in heaven! Even Aidan likes them, though he's not as crazy about them as we are.

The new Harry Potter Movie

Is really, really good! I thoroughly enjoyed it and marveled at how fast these actors are growing up. I'm looking forward to reading the last book and wonder, as many people do, how it will wrap up.

A lovely visit with family and friends

Last Thursday we drove to Oroville to have a visit with my parents and make sure we get to see my sister Alise, who is in Sacramento for training with her school down in Orange County, where she lives. Ali's in training until August and she goes up to my parents' place in Oroville on the weekends. Since she lives so far away, we all decided to meet at Mom and Dad's last weekend so we could see her, esp. for Aidan's sake since he hadn't seen her since Christmas last year.

Little did I know that Alise had a surprise up her sleeve: with the help of my husband, she pulled together a surprise party for me by inviting some of my friends and Mel and Daryll showed up in their brand spankin' new VW Eos convertible! The fact that they had to drive over a mile and a half down a windy dirt road in their brand new car was testament to their dedication!

We all had a blast - Alise, Anna and her husband Jim, Daryll and Mellie. We sat around all afternoon and evening and drank bottles and bottles of wine and later watched the sun set and all the stars come out. Boy when there is very little moon and no city lights there are BILLIONS and BILLIONS! Unfortunately since I'm not much of a drinker, I began feeling blah by 10:30 PM and I had to go to bed. The good news is that Mel and Daryll decided to stay the night and Alise, Anna and Jim didn't leave til later that afternoon. I haven't had that much fun in a long time.

I miss Alise since she lives so far away and I feel lucky if I can see her twice a year. Once a year either at Christmas or Thanksgiving is more usual. Hopefully by summer next year we'll be able to fly down there to see her and her husband Bill and their new home. Those feelings started a flood of nostalgic sentiments from childhood, missing my sisters, Mom and Dad, living together as a family. I was fortunate and had a very good childhood and sometimes I miss it. Golf and Mom tell me it's normal, and if anything, it's made me more happy to ensure that Aidan has the same sorts of wonderful memories for when he's grown up. In that regard, I played with him even more today and I think he could tell I was feeling a little bit sad and he gave me so many hugs and sqeezes. I love that boy so much!

The people I have in my life - devoted husband, cherished son, wonderful sisters, fantastic friends and loving parents - I'm blessed and grateful every day. Thank you. :)

YESSSSSS!!!!!!

We got back from a visit with Mom and Dad and a large piece of mail was waiting for me from the Department of Real Estate. I was notified of PASSING MY EXAM! YESSSS!!! I am now in the process of applying for my license. I have to make an appointment to get my fingerprints and fill out all sorts of other forms. My serious job search will begin after I get all this stuff submitted.

My first Swarovski jewelry

Alright, it's not that big a deal, but it's fun. For months now I've wanted a nice piece of jewellry, something that looked high quality and beautiful. I never pursued it though, since my first priority is to get work and bring in more money!

Well, last night I went to my bi-monthly meeting in real estate investing and wealth building club from The Real Wealth Network and I was especially excited because the guest speaker that night specialized in Feng Shui. Her name is Alexis Summerfield and she explained basic Feng Shui techniques and how it works with The Law of Attraction.

Each segment of your home is aligned with color and element which represents different aspects of your life to be in harmony with the Universe, or Chi. The chart on the right shows these aspects and what you should have in your home and where starting with water, the color black and representing career and advancement - this should be at your front door or entrance area of your home.

We then went over how the Law of Attraction works and set an intention for ourselves. I decided to focus on my career - now that I've taken my state exam, my intention is to find a job as an origination officer with a GOOD broker by the end of August. We finalized our intention with a symbolic act (wishing with a joss paper).

In the end, Ms. Summerfield offered these beautiful crystal bracelets in the different, sparkly colors corresponding with the Baugua above. You could choose one that you wanted to focus on, so of course I chose black. She then gave the bracelet a blessing and now it's mine! (after giving her my credit card info, of course LOL!)

I plan to wear it during my upcoming job interviews and whenever I want to channel some good energy into bringing in more referrals and network with the right people. I felt wonderful when I left last night!

API Auction

My online buddy, also named Amy at Crunchy Domestic Goddess, is helping out with Attachment Parenting International (API). They are holding it’s biggest fundraiser of the year with a great online auction. All kinds of items have been donated from autographed books & posters to concert tickets to time shares. And of course there are tons of slings, cloth diapers, and other baby gear available. API is a 501(c)3 not for profit organization and could really use your help. Besides, bidding in online auctions is fun!
Take a look and place your bid: http://www.api.cmarket.com/

All my best to you, AMY!

I'm sitting here in a bit of a spaced-out state of mind because I finished my real estate exam a few hours ago. It took me nearly three hours to complete 150 questions. Months of studying and the last few weeks have been intense. It's actually going to feel strange not cracking the books or study guide every early morning, afternoon and night.

And I believe that all that hard work and diligent studying paid off. I was stressed a little bit yesterday: I woke up before 4AM worried about my test. I thought to myself that I may as well wake up and, well, STUDY! So yesterday from 4:30-6:30 AM I did the practice exams in the study guide. From 6:30-7 AM I laid my fried brain down on the sofa until it was time to get Aidan up.

Then Aidan and I had a big day ahead of us - we had a birthday party to go to at a swimming center in Oakland. You'd think that with 5 or 6 hours of sleep I'd be still be functioning fine but I was in a bit of a cloud all day long. I was so exhausted. Golf said it was because of stress, too, and I also think the stress may have been making me feel slightly sick.

So Golf suggested a strategy he used for taking his TOEFL exams (to qualify as a fluent English speaker) that he learned from a friend who constently did well on tests: Relax the day before and get plenty of rest and sleep. So I didn't study any more yesterday. I went to bed before 10 PM and for the first time in weeks I slept this morning past 5:45 AM and woke up by 6:45 - woo hoo, a real sleep-in!

I did a little more studying this morning before my 1 PM exam. Just overall review. I also made it a point to do some Law of Attraction exercises: Feel good, give gratitude, have belief and know that I can pass. I told myself that even though my scores on the practice exams were too low, they were very difficult questions. I told myself that with all my efforts and hours of preparation were not going to result in failure. Sure enough, I felt great when I walked into that room.

I'll tell you the results, good or bad either way. But I feel confident that I have passed.

Happy Independence Day 2007

What a lovely day it's been today! Clear skies and only in the upper 70s here in the Bay Area while the rest of the state swelters over the century mark.

Aidan and I went to the local 4th of July parade which is held a mere 1/4 mile away or so. We got our spot in the shade and had to wait over an hour before the parade started, but boy was it worth it! It was so much fun seeing my son enjoy himself. We sat next to a very nice couple who played with Aidan and another family on the other side had an 8 year old looking boy who also played with him.

Then the parade started and what a great time this boy had! He was far more thrilled with the firetrucks, bands, bicycles and even a low flying Coast Guard helicopter! Lots of people going by tried getting his attention to wave at him because he's so cute, but he waved to everybody most of the time.

At 12:30 the parade was nearly finished and we'd had enough. I was getting sunburned and Aidan was very stimulated, hot, hungry and tired.

However, not tired enough to sleep! As of 5:20 PM, this boy has still not slept and he's extremely grumpy. I had planned to study during his nap and I'm not happy I didn't get to study. I'll have to just do it tonight...

Well, an overall good day, though and I hope to post a few pictures.