Cultural Similarities

We just got back from spending the weekend in Sacramento visiting my sister and bro-in-law. Golf mainly wanted to check out the flea markets there to put his mind to rest when we move that he'll have some good sources for eBay sales.

The main place we went to was Denio's market. If you look at the first photo on the far right when the page loads, you'll see what looks like a smaller American version of Chatuchak market in Bangkok. The permanent flea markets we've been to, such as Denio's and one at the Coliseum in Oakland remind Golf and me of the markets in Thailand. The stuff they sell, like cheap clothing - tables of socks, bras, jeans, shirts - toiletries, bedding is the same. The mannequins here though have bigger booties for the Hispanic population. :) Here there are many used tools and car stereo accessories. Popular Hispanic snacks are sold and there are also food vendors selling tacos and tamales. We like getting this sweet bread when we go to share with Aidan. At Denios, there's even a big pet section, just like at Chatuchak too! The flea markets draw in many Asian and Hispanic vendors and buyers, and I think that has a big influence on what is sold and the whole vibe of the place.

In the permanent flea market set ups, there is a big section for fresh produce and when you walk inside and it's just like walking into a Thai market. Only difference is that fresh meat is not sold because of health regulations. I love, love, love shopping at these flea markets for so many of my needs including food. It's such a good deal and I love being amongst a mix of different cultures and the vendor personalities that Golf runs across is amusing: They are their own bosses, so they can be as rude or as nice as they want to be and you get a wide range of personalities to deal with. Most are rather eccentric too. I guess you would be by nature if you make a living at the flea market.

So in our observances, we've noticed how similar Hispanic culture is to Thai in how we've seen the kinds of things offered for sale. Tables full of music CDs, cell phones and accessories, DVDs, used books, cheap clothing, shoes. The bedding looks almost the same and Hispanics seem to also like the big overstuffed furniture, the same sorts of home decor from clocks to rugs. I'm telling ya, you walk through any of these markets here and it's the same stuff in Thailand, only a different language. Same Same but Different as they say in Thailand. And sometimes I'll see a Mexican teenager standing on a street corner with a bucket of flowers to sell to motorists. In Thailand you'll see them selling newspapers or jasmine garlands for the rearview mirror. It's uncanny how similar it all is and here they are half a world away. Makes me feel wonderful about how similar we human beings are.

We DID get to go!!!

My wish came true and our family did get to go to the Thai temple yesterday for the Songkran festival. As I mentioned before, we had planned to go on Saturday but got rained out and Golf wanted to go the flea market on Sunday morning.

Well, we got an early start yesterday and we finished at the market just before 11 AM and decided to go for it and made the 1/2 hour drive to the temple. As predicted, it was packed with people who also didn't come on Saturday.

As Golf parked the car a mile away and take the shuttle, Aidan and I went onto the grounds and watched traditional Thai dancing. Unfortunately by the time Golf arrived, they had finished. That was at noon and since there was no more dancing, the only thing left to do for most people was line up for the food and the queue was SOOOO long. We decided to make merit in the temple instead, so we went inside and Aidan was such a good boy as we lit incense and made our wishes. The monks were chanting blessings and flicking the holy water with the grass brushes over the packed hall of laypeople who were also there giving prayers and offerings. I felt so good involving Aidan in these rituals. We're establishing these traditions within him right now.

We decided to line up for food, it went quickly and they do it just like in Thailand: You buy tokens - one token per dollar (in Thailand you actually get tickets of different denominations, one, five or ten baht). You then exchange the token for the food for whatever it costs. At the end of your meal, you exchange the remainder of your tokens for your money back.

An old acquaintance of ours was there as we were waiting and we went to their table. The couple was a Thai lady named Bok and her American husband. We met them in Bangkok when Bok was 5 months pregnant with her first baby and Golf and I had been newly married for about a month. Bok now had 2 children, and it was neat seeing her first born daughter who was going on 2 1/2. Her little one was a cutie pie too, a year younger than Aidan.

It was nice catching up with them and meeting their friends, who are also very casual acquaintances of Golf's - his former boss, Benjawan, who authored the Thai language learning books, knows all these folks. The exposure to the Thai language was very good for Aidan and he made hearts melt as he waied "Sawatdee" to everyone. What a great day!

Once we got home, I took my final exam for real estate appraisal and passed that too. Two books down, six more to go. I'm beginning the real estate economics book today, and believe it or not, it looks quite interesting.

A disappointing day

Today and tomorrow the Thais here in America celebrate Songkran, the Thai New Year. We were SOOOO looking forward to going to the Thai Temple in Fremont to make merit, see the dancing, listen to music and eat delicious food. It's so important for us to expose Aidan to his Thai side as often as we can.

However, today it was POURING down rain and tomorrow Golf wants to get to the flea market since the last two weeks have been replaced with a traveling carnival. Well, if we see that the carnival is there again, then we'll head on down to Fremont because it's supposed to be nicer tomorrow.

Now in Thailand, I'd huddle inside my apartment all day long because the water festival there is serious sanook (or fun). Not. You'll be drenched the moment you step out your door. Farangs (white foreigners) are especially targets. Look for some pictures and a description from this blog here.

So Sawatdii Pii Mai (Happy New Year!)

Money or Stress

I made a choice yesterday. A choice that I had mulled over for nearly a day and came to the conclusion that a particular job I took was not worth the stress it involved and therefore not worth the money.

Thursday before last, I took a substitute job that payed more than triple what I make a day in my current school district. This job payed more because the teachers were on strike over their contracts. I needed the money and went in, never being near a picketing protest in my whole life. Needless to say, they pay you more because the experience was very unpleasant.

The strike went on the next day but I was already teaching at another school in my present district. I had heard on the news that the teachers on strike that day even accosted a sub. Umm... I thought these were educated "upstanding" members of society, not factory workers... My opinion of the whole union process went down the tubes. In this freemarket society, there is such demand for good teachers and if they aren't getting the benefits or salary they want, get out! Go to a non-unionized school. If enough of them leave it would certainly shake things up and change would happen in their favor.

The negotiations were supposed to go on over spring break, which ends tomorrow, and I was called on Thursday to come in again on Monday. I had said yes, but after thinking it over and talking with Golf, I decided not to. I don't want my already tarnished opinion to get any worse, nor do I want to put myself into a potentially dangerous position, so I called back yesterday and said I couldn't do it. I'm disappointed in not getting such good pay, but the price is too high in this case.

I believe in surrouding myself in positive energy, and not knowingly entering hostile environments.

Dodging raccoons

Well I did it. I woke up this morning at 4:45 AM and went on my very brisk power walk. I think I will walk this route, which is 3.2 miles or so, for the next week before taking on a longer route. Or I might just stick with this one since it took me 20 minutes longer to complete than I expected.

I discovered I LOVE early mornings! No wonder spiritual scholars such as monks wake up every day very early. It's SOOO quiet and very peaceful. The birds are just starting to chirp at about 5 AM, but still quite dark. As a matter a fact, I was barreling down the sidewalk and a huge raccoon walked out from behind a tree. We both startled each other!

My goal is to do this every other morning. Wish me luck!

ALSO - Happy Birthday to my sister Alise. Love ya!

Trying out a new exercise routine

I've had the last 10 pounds clinging to my butt for nearly a year now and I'm tired of it. Tomorrow I'm going to start a new strategy.

Fitness experts say that to get rid of the last few pounds, you need to amp up your aerobic workout, and while I walk with Aidan briskly nearly every day, it's just not intense enough. I'm going to go on my real powerwalk tomorrow morning. While I already wake up at 5:30 AM every day to do my meditation and have some alone computer time, I now need to wake up at 4:45 AM 4 days a week to get my meditation in and my 3 1/2 mile powerwalk. I think I can get it done in about 40 minutes.

So tomorrow I'll wake up that early and see how long it takes me from the time I start to the time I get back. This time has to take into account my meditation and changing my clothes. I should hopefully be back by 6:30, which is the time Aidan has been waking up lately. The earlier he wakes up, the earlier I have to wake up.

I need to get into this habit now because once I begin working outside the home, the early early morning will be my only time to get in my exercise.

On the yoga front, my back is still not 100% well yet, so I'm not going to attempt yoga until possibly this coming Friday, when I will go back to that class. I will also notify the instructor of my injury and we can modify poses. It's been almost a month since I hurt myself and I don't ever want to sprain my back again!!!

Lots of food

Golf, Aidan and I went to Berkeley yesterday on our ethnic food run. In my commitment to eating more vegetarian, I went to the Indian grocery store I'd been going to for years. Indian is my favorite vegetarian food, although I cannot eat it every meal for the flavors are so strong. I still remember when I went to India, by the time I was there a month, I was really tired of the food. I didn't eat Indian food for nearly a year afterward! Luckily, I didn't have the same reaction with Thai food, since I lived in Thailand for nearly four years, and I was certainly able to break up my meals with western food and just good ole fruit - albeit exotic varieties we don't get here.

Anyway, I bought some different dals at the Indian shop - toor, chana and urad. I got besan, which is chickpea (or grabanzo bean) flour and some basmati rice. I got two different mixes for idlis, since I have an idli mold, so I want to see if one brand is better than the other. And now that I have all the ingredients, I'd like to try making it from scratch too. I also got some rasam soup base, which is really delicious to eat with idlis. Those are the main ingredients for many Indian dishes, and I'd just need to get vegetables, as I already have the main spices: tumeric, cumin, mustard seeds and coriander.

After I was done at the Indian shop, we went to the Talaat TukTuk or Tuk Tuk Thai Market in English. It was a few blocks further down the street and it's the largest Thai market I've ever been to. It includes a food court where you can get tasty dishes for the same price as a fast food meal. I got my pad thai talay, which is seafood pad thai. Seems most non-Thai people eat the pad thai, since it's the most familiar and for sure delicious, but I get it because Golf doesn't cook it at home. Golf got the pad si eew which is broad rice noodles with pork and green vegetables (broccoli being the American equivalent). It was yummy!

This market has a real tuk tuk inside it, although fancier than the ones putting down the streets in Bangkok. Aidan loves playing on it, sitting in the driver's seat. We'll for sure take him for a short ride on one next time we're in Thailand. Then we got our groceries there (Golf doing most of the shopping) and went home. It was a surprisingly fun morning and so nice not to have to make anything for lunch.

One down Seven to go...

I forgot to mention that earlier this week I took my first final exam in my real estate studies. I took the Real Estate Principles test and it's a basic overview of the whole real estate industry with the major focus on residential. I passed it but don't know my score as it's just a pass/fail grading policy. But that's great news, none-the-less.

I'm now studying Real Estate Appraisal and it's much more difficult, with so many new terms to learn. It's a smaller book and my plan is to finish it within the next couple of weeks. I shall need more review in it, though.

Even though we are planning to move in June, I'm already joining groups in Meetup.com in the Sacramento area, mostly for business and networking, though, because my line of work that I shall be getting into is really sales, and you need contacts and referrals to fuel your business. It's fun!

Interesting Movie

Before I tell you all about this movie I watched last night, let me tell you that I passed my first real estate course yesterday! I had my final exam online and I was able to finish it in an hour and a half.

Got my next book mapped out for my reading and should have it done in 2 weeks and one day. An old friend of mine who is in the mortgage lending business called me yesterday about a job opportunity near Sacramento, so I'll follow this lead and see how it goes. Things are looking well. My back is also doing better as I had a minor setback the other day.

OK so this movie I had in my Netflix queue called Ghengis Blues, about a blind San Francisco blues musician who learned the overtone, or harmonic throat singing from the region of Tuva, which is on the border of outer Mongolia and in Russia. He travels to Tuva and competes in their annual throat singing competition.

I rented this documentary because I'd been interested in throat singing - Tibetan monks chant with the low tones, but the Tuvans have this whistling sound in addition. I'm also interested in Mongolian tradition, the Tuvans being close in culture. Someday I will make a trip to Mongolia, or maybe even Kyzyl, the capital!

The UTube video below shows an example of both techniques of the signing that is most obvious. The deep sound and the whistling sound:

Beginning to Feel Better

Oh my aching back! Yesterday was a bad day until midday, but Golf had bought me a back support at the drug store and it REALLY helped! Today I'm feeling so much better that I can sit normally and I could put my socks on with little pain.

I feel worse for not being able to get outside everyday. We've had some nice weather and I love taking Aidan out several hours per day - he gets adequate outside play time and I get my power walk in and we both feel vitalized afterward. I haven't been able to for a week now and Golf's been taking him out with him. He's taking him to the flea market with him this morning. At least he gets to go out. I went out for a few hours with them yard saleing yesterday morning, but it was painful. Perhaps tomorrow I might be well enough to walk with him to the library and let him play in the park.

Well, on the positive end - keeping up with my textbook reading has been a breeze! I'm going to take my first final exam on Tuesday.

My New Earth Shoes

I had seen the ad for Earth Shoes in several magazines, mostly yoga and health related. I thought the idea was kind of neat - a negative heel that sits a bit lower than the rest of the shoe.

Since I've bought some high heel boots and pumps for my new career, I thought that having an opposite effect on my feet and legs when not wearing heels would be beneficial.

So I checked out the website and I have to say that most of the shoes are not appealing looking to me - not my style. But I did find these pair here called Vision 2. They still look a little duck-like but I like them. They're replacing my worn out Diesel knock-offs I bought in Thailand for $10. I like wearing a casual shoe for walking around and not having to resort to my cross trainers, which I prefer to wear when power walking. I want these to wear to the store or to the flea market or just anywhere out n about.

Retail price for these is about $120 because they are real leather and well constructed. I found them on eBay for about half that price and with shipping I paid about $74. They should last me at least 10 years and with that length of time, I'd say the price is well worth it.

An injury

Not to Aidan, so don't worry. To myself. Last Friday I went to my yoga class and we were doing a lot of back and spinal stretching - downward facing dog and different modified versions of it. I was only too glad because while my back has never given me problems, my upper back has always been too rounded and gives me bad posture.

In downward dog, you have to stretch your butt up to the ceiling while lengthening your arms in the opposite direction with your shoulders pushing opposite of your arms. It's a very dynamic pose. I guess I got overly dynamic in it because after class I felt some small amount of pain in my lower left back muscle. I just thought I had stretched it really well.

It started hurting worse the next day and was the same amount of annoying pain since then but not to the point of being extremely painful. I took a Tylonol here and there.

But yesterday evening I lifted Aidan up into his high chair, and while I was still under the effects of Tylonol, I felt it. Not a pop, but I could definitely feel a shift or a slip and the pain wasn't worse at first, but my body immediately became more protective of the injured area.

As the night wore on, the pain got worse. I now have to be very careful and slow. I don't know if I'm even going to be able to take Aidan out of his crib when he wakes up, I may have to have Golf help me. I just looked online for muscle injury care and they all say the same thing: Ibuprofin, ice and rest. Thank goodness Golf is here to help me with Aidan. He still likes to be picked up and carried a lot, and I simply cannot do it until my sprain gets better. UGH.

*~F~L~O~A~T~I~N~G~*

I have, for many years now, wanted to try floating in a sensory deprivation tank. I've read articles on it and even seen movies about how it can put you into an altered state of consciousness. Imagine being in a tank with 10 inches of water with 800-1000 pounds of epsom salts dissolved in it. You get in and you float like a cork. The water covers your ears. You close the tank door and there is no light. You lie in the water and you can't feel your body -- you're nude and suspended. No touch, no sight, no sound, no smells and no taste if you don't allow any salt water to get into your mouth.

I have a flyer for a floatation center in Oakland. There are several in the Sacramento area once we move. One day I WILL experience this opportunity to see what the mind will do where there is no sensory imput. As a beginner in meditation (and doing it everyday without fail - YAY!) I'm interested in how my mind would react under such conditions.

Here's a link to more info on the subject from that Oakland center website.

A Fun St. Patrick's Party

For all of us in the family, it was our first ever St. Patrick's Day Party! We went to our friends Melanie and Daryll's house and they had it decorated up all nice and lots and lots of glorious food! Daryll prepared a perfect corned beef with cabbage, red potatoes, carrots, dilled potatoes, a selection of mustards and pickles, sausages on the grill outside, salad, Irish soda bread with fresh Irish butter.... and that's not including the variety of desserts that were brought in or the huge tray of fresh shrimp brought by one of the guests to enjoy as an appetizer. YUMMY! Oh and did I mention all the wine and beer and other lovely drinks? I stuck mostly with iced green tea because I'm not much of a drinker during the heat of the day (and it got close to 80F)

Aidan was such a good boy too. All the guests enjoyed him - he may challenge us at home throwing tantrums and constantly testing his mommy and daddy, but around others he's an angel!! We were so proud of him. At one point he was sitting around the table with all the men who were drinking, and he had his sippy cup in hand and a plastic St. Patrick's Day hat on - he was one of the ole boys. So cute.

Lots of fun. But today I'm going to go light on the food because I way over-indulged on the key lime pie. It was heavenly!!!!

New Photo Album Online

Hey all
Golf just uploaded a bunch of new photos mostly from our time at my parents' house. You can see Aidan, my mom and dad, Golf and me, but mostly of THAT BABY. ;)

Other news of note: Car troubles. We had to take it into the shop and fortunately the shop is within easy walking distance. It's been there since early yesterday morning and may not be finished until later this afternoon. So I've been putting off shopping til its back - scary how dependent we are on our vehicles, even in an urban area.

I was listening to a one of my favorite talk shows on the radio yesterday on my walk with Aidan and the guest was an expert in procrastinating behavior. Boy am I that! I have all these real estate text books to read - eight in total and I'm finding it a bit overwhelming to start and therefore I end up putting it off, finding little chores and other odds n ends to do before buckling down to read.

The guest on the program suggested to make mini goals, break the task down piece by tiny piece and put it into writing to help crystalize it in the mind. So when I got home, I decided to break my textbook up into chapters and I made it a goal to read one chapter per day. I wrote it on post-it notes and put them at the end of each chapter with the date. Now I feel more confident that I shall finish this first book and take the exam by the end of this month. YAY!

Toxic Shock

It all started out OK this morning. By 10 AM I was pretty hungry and could feel my caffeine headache coming on. However, by noon, I was knocked-down ill. I had a full blown migraine and I could hardly move. I managed to peel an orange for Aidan to eat with his lunch and after I prepared it, I ran to the bathroom and threw up. It only got worse from there. I couldn't even keep water down, which is dangerous during a fast. I spent the whole afternoon in bed. Golf ended up talking me into doing my fast at a later time when my body wouldn't suffer such a shock.

My mother also made the point that since having a baby my body chemistry has changed and when fasting used to be an ordeal I could handle, I'm not the same as I used to be. I've done a fast before and other than being lightheaded and hungry, I never got physically ill from it. This literally knocked me on my ass!

So I've got a new plan. I will eat better and wean myself from so much coffee. I'm going to incorporate less meat and more beans into my diet. I will work my way down to ONE cup of coffee a day, and beginning tomorrow, no more afternoon coffee. I'll take tea instead.

By summer I intend to try this again. I'm disappointed and embarassed, esp. after such pep-talk posts about it before doing it. But I felt so horrible and I couldn't do a thing. Thank goodness for Golf being so understanding and helping me out with Aidan. I have not given up, just modifying a plan that isn't working. In the end it makes no sense to doggely pursue something that is not working properly. This fast was not working out properly and I need to prepare my body over a long period of time.

Day 1

My starting weight is about 150.
I gained a few pounds at my parents' house and ideally I'd love to shed 10-15 more pounds, fluctuating between 135 and 140.

Last night before I drank some herbal laxative tea. I also prepared figs, prunes and raisins in a large mug, poured boiling water over it and covered it overnight.
Here is my daily routine until Friday morning:

* Upon rising: 2 teaspoons psyllium husks in a big glass of water.
* Breakfast: discard fruit from mug and drink the liquid.
* Mid-morning: Kyolic Kyo-Green energy drink (mixture of wheat grass, young barley, kelp, chlorella and FOS)
* Lunch: glass of carrot juice
* Mid afternoon: Green tea with Kombucha
* About 5 PM: glass of carrot juice
* Dinner: Large glass of apple juice
* Before Bed: cup of peppermint tea

On the last day of the fast, I get to have a small raw-foods meal for dinner. I also have some colon cleanse capsules I take throughout the day, and am drinking 6-8 glasses of water.

So that's it. Of course I feel fine this morning. The challenge has not yet begun and I imagine I'll have a pounding caffeine headache later this morning. I'll report in tonight.

In preparation for tomorrow

"I can be what I will to be."

This affirmation is in the Master Key System that I'm studying and it really struck me. It went on to say that,

"Unless you do this [repeat this affirmation until it becomes habit and therefore your truth in your subconscious] you had better not start at all, because modern psychology tells us that when we start something and do not complete it, or make a resolution and do not keep it, we are forming the habit of failure.; absolute ignominious failure. If you do not intend to do a thing, do not start; if you do start, see it through even if the heavens fall; if you make up your mind to do something, do it; let nothing, no one, interfere; the 'I' (ego) in you has determined, the thing is settled; the die is cast, there is no longer any argument. "

So this is how I'm approaching my detox beginning tomorrow. The die is cast.

More tomorrow on the teas and tonics I bought for this liquid flushing.

Going on a 4-day detox fast

I made a decision a few days ago that when I return home I will do a detox fast and flush all these crappy toxins out of my system. I got back from a buffet at the casino with the family yesterday and that food isn't all that great and it was sitting in my gut like a lump. I've gained probably five pounds at Mom and Dad's, despite all the hard work that kept me active. In all, I have cultivated some bad dietary habits since being married (not Golf's fault, but he certainly has influence):

• I eat WAY too much meat. Golf loves beef, pork, chicken -- but mostly beef and second place is pork. We eat it often and if I was single, I'd be eating a mostly vegetarian diet. He hates beans and most all legumes. My intention is to eat lean red meat ONCE a week, if that, and eat mostly vegetarian. My body needs this diet and I will just have to deal with the inconvenience of sometimes preparing more than one meal.
  
  
  
• I am completely and utterly addicted to caffeine. I drink 2 1/2 cups of coffee in the morning with half-n-half, sugar AND Splenda. In the afternoon we also each have one cup of coffee to give us a boost. My excuse is that the British have their afternoon tea, so we have afternoon coffee. I need to cut it out and start drinking green tea if I need a boost, without all that sugar and half-n-half. It will save a bunch on the cost of Splenda too. And let us not forget how expensive coffee is!
  
  
  
• I've been sitting here the last two days with a gas knot in my tummy. (Sorry if TMI) I've also gotten headaches. My exzema is acting up on my fingers. I've got an acne problem that I thought buying Proactiv Solution would cure -- no, I think I should be eating better. When I was taking the diet pills, I had still been ingesting food as I described above. In reasonable portions, but too fatty just the same. The remaining 10 pounds is still there.
  
  
  
• I 100% believe that if the body is healthy and running at an optimum, the mind can be clear and focused. I need to prepare myself in every way to be the success I intend to be. I need to have the energy and concentration to fulfull my intentions, dreams and goals. Why bother with my yoga and meditation if I'm filling my body with red meat, fat, caffeine and sugar?

Monday is my day to begin and I intend to go for four days. The book I'm using says that three day fasts are the minimum a person needs to get any benefit, and the most I've ever done is two days. Four days is one day more than the minimum and at a level I think I can handle. I plan to describe what I go through and tomorrow I shall visit the health food store in preparation. I shall tell you what all I got to thoroughly roto-root my colon. LOL! I intend to blog about every day to also hold me accountable for my plans. I intend to go by the book, no cheating.

I'm going all the way for four days. I am going to do this and it is going to feel SO good at the end of my fast. I'm sure this will be a spiritual journey as well as a physical one, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.