This is just too much!

There should be a TV channel solely dedicated to cute animals and babies. Seriously. I would watch it all day. The endorphins that come rushing in from watching these little guys would relieve any bad day. This picture alone has made me reconsider eating pork. It's so cute; I feel like my heart is exploding!

Via jezebel.com

Albuquerque, a walking tour

I didn't expect to enjoy Albuquerque as much as I did, but I did. While the city itself wasn't that impressive to me, it was my experience walking through it that really made my trip. For one, I had a really awesome walking partner-- my roommate, whose adventurous attitude took us to all different parts of the city that I'm sure, even some locals don't ever walk through. Our first walking adventure (chronicled in the previous post) took us through some nice neighborhoods, with nice adobe homes, parks, and a general air of suburban calm. Our second walking adventure, the goal (more of a joke) of which was to reach the Rio Grande, was quite the opposite.

It's amazing how the simple act of walking can reveal so much about a city. I've always said that the best way to explore any place is to walk through it. Only then will you actually take the time to pace yourself and enjoy your surroundings. If you're lucky enough, you'll discover some hidden gem or interesting sight that would have been missed if you had driven through the city. On this walking tour toward the Rio Grande, we got lost more than a few times and walked through some "questionable" areas. And even though my ankles ached throughout (damn my inadequate shoes), I wouldn't have traded it for any other experience.

How else would I have seen the Rio Grande?! Sure, it was DRY and we had to walk through a sort of creepy bike trail in the dark to get there, but it was a joke between us that actually came true. Proves that if you approach the most far-off goals with persistence and most importantly, good humor, you'll achieve it and get a good laugh out of it too.

Our walking tour also led us to walk through the lower-income neighborhoods of Albuquerque, under freeway underpasses, and desolate streets. These parts of town, I'm sure, probably aren't recommended evening walking destinations for two females, but you know, it really confirmed that fears of these areas of towns are really misplaced. Because, not once, did I feel unsafe (only a little creeped out, but that's attributed to my fear of the supernatural). It's like when people express fears of East Side San Jose. Uggh. Annoys me so much. Why, because there's colored people?! Alert the police! Poor minorities live in the area! I'm scared they'll harass me! Hate that sentiment. These communities are a lot safer than people give credit. Anyways...end rant and back on-topic. Walking!

Walking took us through the Old Town of Albuquerque. The one interesting thing there was this 18th-century church. I love the gloomy night sky. Gives this image a sense of foreboding.

San Felipe de Neri Church

An intrinsic part of walking (and travel in general) is getting lost, of which we did plenty of. But that's the beauty of travel--to get lost and wander. If we hadn't got lost on our walking tour, I wouldn't have even known that there's a sort of Little Vietnam in Albuquerque.

Sure, it was isolated to about a 2 block radius, but it was neat to see Vietnamese coffee shops (yes, with the blacked out windows), noodle restaurants, and even an Asian supermarket. Who knew that Vietnamese people settled in New Mexico?

I definitely would not have seen all I have seen if it were not for walking. My trip would have been quite lame and my judgment of Albuquerque unfair if I not had taken the opportunity to walk around. It was by walking through Albuquerque that I learned to appreciate it for what it is. It's definitely not the type of city I would enjoy living in, but discovering this was the adventure in itself.

New Mexico: Day 2

I was about to resign to the notion that this whole Albuquerque trip would be spent inside the Marriott, where my training is taking place. Albuquerque is very much like San Jose. Everything is really spread out and public transportation isn't so accessible, all of which makes it very difficult for those without a car to get around. Add to that my unfamiliarity with the area, it just seemed like my stay here would be more of a sedentary than an exploratory one. But no, Vina doesn't resign. I came here to experience a slice of New Mexico and I was going to do it.

Without much of a destination, my roommate and I set off on a walking tour of New Mexico. Our destination? The mountains. No, really. We saw mountains in one direction and started walking, with the premier goal being that we wanted to witness quintessential New Mexico images (gathered from stereotypes, of course). We wanted to see tumbleweed, cactus, adobe houses, different types of New Mexico birds, and all other stuff to reinforce that we actually experienced Albuquerque instead of just sitting all day in an air-conditioned hotel.


We walked quite a while, past cute adobe houses...

...cacti. Apparently, cacti in Alburquerque don't stand upright. They're all on the ground, like they're too depressed to stand upright. It's okay, cacti. Totally understand how you feel sometimes.

...these things, hanging from trees, which my roommate said looked like ornaments- little, dried desert ornaments. I just think they look really neat.

Sadly, this was the best tumbleweed we were able to find. I was imagining some big, circular tumbleweed. But no...just this. It's not even circular shaped. Sad.

We even tried to get it to roll...didn't work.

Finally, we "reached" the mountains.

Fellow Americorps posing in front of gorgeous mountains.

Although we were far away, we could see how beautiful these mountains were--especially at that time of day, with the sun setting, casting purplish-pink across the mountainsides. One day, I'm going to go on the roadtrip through the Southwest just to see these mountains up close.

In sum, Day Two was great! I got to see parts of Albuquerque I didn't expect to see, which really is the best route I could have taken to see the city as locals do. And mostly, I'm just glad I got to get off my ass after 9 hours of sitting through training to burn off all the heavy hotel food I've been eating. Hopefully, Day Three will be just as adventurous as today!

The "Nudge"

I received this Valentine's card from my not-so-secret admirer today, with this comment:

  

"I saw this card and it reminded me of you telling me about the nudge scene--I hope you think it's funny now that it's been so long ago." 

Oh my...the "Nudge". I haven't thought about the Nudge in such a long time, so this gentle (and HILARIOUS) reminder really brought it all back. It's funny how certain events in your life can feel so momentous at the time, but then after a while, it just completely slips your mind. Its significance, once a burden on your memory, is forgotten and tucked away in some forgone region of your subconscious. Until, you receive something like this in the mail and it all comes rushing back...

So, let me entertain you guys on this Valentine's Day with the story of the infamous Nudge, complete with the over-the-top dramatics of what I remembered feeling like at the time, and of course, the lessons I've learned in all its ridiculous glory. 

The Nudge began as what I thought to be a date. But then again, the whole day--no, the whole situation was predicated on the idea of what I thought. It's really amazing how our mind can work to deceive us, covering up all the holes and cracks to ensure that the castle we've built in our head can remain intact. In hindsight, I should have acknowledged them, but whatever. I had just bought new boots. Awesome leather boots that I wanted to you know, show off, and this was the perfect opportunity. 

So, the day was somewhat planned. And it was nice! I was feeling pretty good. Person seemed to be digging things. Conversation was flowing; It felt effortless, easy, and if you know me, that can be somewhat difficult when I'm around strangers. Bonus points, right? As our pre-planned events began to wind down, we still had the whole day left, and I kept thinking, "Okay, what's next?" I knew I wanted to continue the day. I thought I was getting the same vibe from the person, but I didn't know how to bring it up and most of all, I was just too shy to do so. So, we're walking, walking, walking. As we get closer to the train station, I'm thinking, "Okay...is this it?" We're walking down to the tunnel now and in my mind I'm just "blah," while keeping up a cheery exterior giving the fool directions home because its the first time the person took the train.

At that point, the bubble was slowly bursting. I had this wonderful idea in my head to continue the day in Berkeley. I thought it'd be nice to show the person around the city, given the convenience from where we were already at. We seemed to enjoy each other's company, so I didn't think that was a bad idea at all. But before I could even propose the idea, the person kept asking about directions to get home, like he was somewhat worried about taking the wrong train (or really wanted to get home). As it gets to the point when I (and the person) realize this date is ending--there would be no continuing, no spontaneous show and tell through Berkeley--a palpable curtain of awkwardness just sets in. I mean, you couldn't have cut through that awkwardness with your finest steak knife. I felt fine, but it was very clear to me that all that ease that person had had, just disappeared. Conversation stalled to a halt. We're both just looking around, anywhere but at each other.

I was somewhat relieved to hear the train approaching. The roaring and rush of air gave some relief to the heavy air of awkwardness. Person then turns to me very shyly, thanks me for accompanying (as if I was some last ditch alternative), and gives me a side nudge. Person walks off. I can see the person walking through the train as my silent self absorbs the fact that I just got nudged. The train begins roaring away and the "what the heck, did he just nudge me" bewilderment sets in. Like, really? An elbow nudge? Not even a hug? Even a tender pat on the arm?! The back?! Anything else, but the side nudge! I spend the day getting to know you, the underlying premise that I like you, and I can't even get a hug? Have you guys ever seen the movie, Amelie? There's a scene when Amelie, confronted by the guy she is smitten with, is so overwhelmed by disappointment and embarrassment that her whole self just falls into a puddle of water. All her hopes, too heavy to longer bear, come splashing down. Dramatic? Yes. But that's how I felt in the moment I was nudged.

In hindsight, because of course, hindsight is always 20/20--my overreaction to the nudge was more a misplaced reaction to red flags about the whole thing. I learned some valuable lessons from the nudge. 1) I hate nudges. What the heck?! 2) Not to be shy about what I want or what I expect. Just say it. I'd rather get rejected off the bat than go through the shenanigans, get my hopes up, then deal with the consequences and the built-up emotions after. 3) I really do have the best support network. You guys are always the funniest when it comes to these situations, giving me hilarious advice and witty words of comfort to get through my mini-freakouts. It's a good feeling to know that I have a team of people cheering me on during my most awkward moments.

Special thanks to my not-so-secret admirer, Lien, for the funny trip down memory lane. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Banana Leaf, Round One

I had the fortunate opportunity to visit both Malaysia and Singapore this summer. I, however, had the unfortunate opportunity of going to these countries with a Vietnamese tour (mom's idea). It was awful in nearly every way possible. I hated my fellow tourists. I wanted to choke them, I hated them so much. SIGH...just thinking about them gets my blood boiling. How some people can be so incredibly ignorant and disrespectful to different cultures...it amazes me. It really does. They didn't want to learn anything about Singapore and Malaysia. Our Vietnamese tour guide made sweeping generalizations about the countries, added their offensive remarks about the natives, and just didn't contribute anything interesting that I couldn't have learned myself through a basic read-through of Wikipedia.

The greatest offense, though, was that all the food booked through the tour was crappy Chinese-Vietnamese food. We literally ate the same dishes, three times a day for our whole seven-day tour. Boiled chicken with salt (like, literally a small bowl of salt on the side), tofu with tomatoes, bland fish, vegetable broth, and white rice. We ate that every single day. Not once did they offer any local cuisine to us. I wanted to go out on my own to get food, but it wasn't even as if the tour allowed free time for us to go out on our own to eat. The only free time we had was late night and by that time, I was so tired from being around idiotic people all day that I just wanted to go to bed. SO, in conclusion, aside from eating a copious amount of delicious Malaysian durian at a roadside stand, my food experiences in these countries sucked.

I had heard about Banana Leaf in Milpitas for some years now, and they were always good reviews. I didn't feel a great urge to try it out myself until I came back from my trip, when I vowed I would finally enjoy the Singaporean/Malaysian meal I was so sadly denied during my times there. A few weekends ago, I finally had my chance when I went with my family as sort of a pre-Lunar New Years celebration. My overall experience? Pretty great, I must say. A few stand-out dishes below.

Their Thai tea was the best Thai tea I've ever had. It was the perfect combination of bitter tea and sweet milk.

I've never had Roti Prata before. I thought it was going to be like Indian naan bread, but this bread was flaky and light. It was accompanied by a curry dip, which was just so good with the roti. This was my favorite of the night.  You can also see the cooks hand-flipping the bread when you first come inside the restaurant. That topped the eating experience for me, to see how much skill it takes to make this seemingly simple bread. I would go to Banana Leaf just for this bread. I don't even need the other dishes. Just this and the curry dip. (Really triggering my cravings right now!)

Chicken/Beef Satay--the meat was sweet and juicy. Again, it was perfectly completed with a curryish sauce.

Tom Yaml Soup- hot and sour soup with hearty vegetables and shrimp. It was really cold that evening and after a long wait near the freezing breeze from the door to be seated, this was what I really needed to warm up and ready my palette for the dishes ahead.

One dish I really hated was the mango salad. It had a sweet and sour sauce on it that was just...blegh. I hate sweet and sour sauce and eating a whole salad drenched in it? Uhh...no.

 

I also found the wait staff at Banana Leaf to be very nice! They brought over crayons for my little cousin, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

One of the staff also took a liking to the little guy, and lifted him up with his high chair to play with him. It was very sweet, considering that they gave individualized attention to us even though it was a packed house that night.

I'm so glad I finally found a great place for Malaysian/Singaporean food. Sucks that I had to go back to the US to finally get that meal, but I'll take what I can get. I can't wait for Round 2, when I finally go with my travel partner, Tran. We'll stuff our faces with Roti Prata to erase our bad memories. It'll take a few trips to actually quash our memories, I'm sure, but that's fine by me!

Fate or Self-Fulfilling Prophecy?

Every new years since college, I have gone to the temple to receive my yearly fortune. The process of kneeling before Buddha, all my hopes, wishes, and insecurities laid out in my prayers is one that I cherish. However, in the past few years, this process of collecting my yearly fortune has grown from merely a festive tradition to a necessity. The thing is, I am a firm believer in free will. The idea of some higher power controlling my fate is unsettling to me. Who wants to live with the idea that the choices we make are set in stone? That some of us are destined to live a life of ease while others, a life of misfortune? No matter our best intentions to make the right choices or how we treat others, our lives are predetermined. That's depressing.

My attachment to collecting my fortune, then, is at odds with this belief of mine. This is because for every year I have received my fortune, they have been spot-on. When I say spot-on, I mean that every prediction that I have received for every single year have been accurate in all areas--my health, family life, school/work life, travel prospects...everything. The first year I collected my fortune, I thought, "Okay, it's just a coincidence that my fortune predicted that I would travel outside of the country, come upon a large sum of money, and receive help while abroad." That year, I traveled to Europe, received a scholarship to fund my entire trip, and met some awesome, supportive friends along the way. Still, it was all a coincidence in my mind. Then, the next year and the next, I saw a pattern that was too difficult to continue casting off as just "coincidence." Recognizing this, I feel I've become sort of dependent on these fortunes to guide me throughout the year. And that's where this question of fate vs. the self-fulfilling prophecy comes in.

At what point is it actually fate that my yearly fortunes have been accurate or rather, a subconscious effort on my part to carry these predictions out and in effect, self-fulfilling these predictions? For example, last year I received an extremely positive fortune on all fronts. At the time, it really gave me a big boost of confidence. I felt that it was finally my year and in feeling this confidence, I approached all my goals with an unrivaled level of determination. If I didn't receive a sparkling fortune last year, would I still have had the confidence to carry out the big goals I had set out on? Or, did the fortune equip me with the right confidence that things were going to work out, so I made sure they would work because "otherwise" was just not an option? Fate or self-fulfilling prophecy?

This question has been floating around in my mind lately because I just got my yearly fortune and it's bad, my friends. It's as bad as a fortune can get. Apparently, my health will take a dramatic plunge this year (lack of health care, I'm assuming), people at work dislike me (LOL), I will be prone to accidents that will lead to spilled blood (what?!), and to top it all off, the Gods have it against me this year (it actually said that!). It's so bad that I find it kind of funny! But really, considering how accurate my fortunes have been, it is a bit scary. So, what does this mean? Will it mean that no matter what I do to combat the bad luck, bad luck will just befall me? Will I allow this fortune to affect me in such a way that I will subconsciously increase the risk factors of bad luck? OR, will I just forget the whole thing and live my life as I see fit. I choose the last choice.

I'm letting go of this whole fortune thing. I'm done believing predictions, even if they have been accurate. I could let this year's bad fortune influence me, but I'd rather not. Considering that I've been feeling pretty positive lately, last thing I need is a little voice inside my head adding paranoia to every small misfortune that I encounter this year as some broader conspiracy the Gods have hatched against me for not praying enough. I'm taking back the power of my own choices. Becoming dependent on these fortunes only means that I won't accept my own bad decisions as my own, that I won't try to approach my life positively when everything is negative. It is this defeatist attitude of believing in fate that bothers me most. I'd rather believe that even if things don't turn out well, at least I have my agency. At least I have the power to change my circumstances. Losing that belief in yourself is when you've reached the point that you've actually "lost yourself." I don't ever want that.

I'm returning to my original beliefs: My choices are completely my own. It is neither fate nor self-fulfilling prophecy. It is all me.

New year wishes!

It's officially the Year of the Cat! Video of my cousin wishing everyone a "Chuc mung nam moi!" and bowing to Buddha as best as his three-year old self can.