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Utterly random thoughts running through my mind

October 31, 2016 in Everyday | Tags: blog, music, post, random, thoughts, weather, words | Comments closed

I love how my local big box coffee shop plays a good mix of eclectic music. They can effortlessly transition from the classic Björk song “It’s Oh So Quiet” to Credence Clearwater Revival’s popular song “Fortunate Son”.
Sometimes I love the autumn & winter seasons in my area because the weather tends to get very cloudy, & then I won’t have to always lug my awkwardly shaped sunglasses & its bulky case around in my purse.
However, I dislike the fact that once the weather starts to get colder, my skin rises to its optimum peak of itchiness, the height of its itch-factor. I could slather on 30 layers of extra-strength lotion every day. I could drink a hundred gallons of water for hydration. I could wrap my entire body in kitchen plastic saran wrap. I could do anything short of shedding my outer layer like a molting snake, but my skin would still itch like hell.
I often wish I could use a slim, compact purse. My purses are generally oversized & very often get in the way. I am either bumping into things when I’m inside a shop, or I am accidentally hitting people with the back of my purse.
Follow up thought: I carry way too much little things in my purse. I’m always worried that I will need something while I’m on the road & am not able to stop at a drugstore or convenience store. So I carry lots of little emergency items in my purse, which weighs my purse down heavily.
However, I’m even more worried that if I start eliminating things from my purse, then that’ll be right at the time when I need that specific item. ( Example: taking the emergency Tylenol out of my bag, & then immediately getting a headache in the car.)
Final purse thoughts: I am self conscious about carrying such a large purse, even though it was a fashion trend at one point within the last decade or so. I worry that I might look like an uncoordinated bag lady.
I recently started re-listening to the music I listened to back in high school. I dug up my old CDs that I bought in high school, & I uploaded the music onto my home computer. I have rediscovered my passion for music, & rekindled my love for the same music genres I loved back in the 1990s.
On that note, I have been rediscovering two genres of music I fell in love with in high school, & have fallen in love with those types of music all over again. I have rekindled my flames of passion for PUNK & SKA music, & I couldn’t be happier.
I can’t believe it’s already the month of November. Before we know it, I’ll be back in Anaheim, California, celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday with my beloved nephew & niece at Disneyland yet again.

Today’s song of the day:

More musings about the rain

March 20, 2013 in Everyday | Tags: cafe, coffee, croissant, musings, pitter-patter, rain, thoughts, umbrella | Comments closed

It’s raining again today, the first sign of Spring. Today I’m visiting one of the bustling neighborhoods of the city. I’m sitting at a small café among the quiet students, budding artists, & chatty businessmen heartily discussing work over a cup of coffee & a well-worn laptop.

It’s drizzling outside, not quite a shower or a mist, but just enough to make use of my orange umbrella. I am nestled cozily in the warmth of the small café, just casually gazing out of the lead (or whatever metal) framed window. It brings such joy to be enveloped in the comfort of a warm, dry bubble…all while the world outside of this bubble soaks up the dampness falling from the sky. “Ahhh, this is the good life,” I note to myself. This IS the good life indeed, with my toasted chocolate croissant & hot cup of French Roast coffee (add sugar & half-&-half).

Amongst all that is happening around outside, it is very relaxing & therapeutic to take a well-deserved break every now & again just to recharge one’s soul. Just take a breather. How long? Five minutes? Ten minutes? One hour? Who cares! As long as you’re having fun while doing it. Just a bit of a caution: Contents may be delicious while served in a To-Go cup. Cheers!

Oh!!! Today’s song of the day:
“More Today Than Yesterday”
Artist: Charles Earland
Album: The Almighty Burner

China, it’s been a long time…

August 25, 2011 in Everyday | Tags: blog, china, everyday, journal, post, shanghai, thoughts, travel | Comments closed

For the first time, since the last time… (from movie: Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist)

It’s been a long time since I last visited China, which was in 2003, and I just recently returned from a 2 week vacation in Shanghai. This experience was so much more different from any of the other times I have visited China. I had no parents who could hold my hand every step of the way & fluently translate everything for me, no comfort bubble of being surrounded by my fellow classmates from some stuffy summer school program, & I did not attend some cheap-ticket fast-paced tour group with matching t-shirts either. I traveled all the way to Shanghai with only my companion by my side & a handy little guidebook to help me navigate through the main districts.

One valuable resource I was extremely fortunate to have while I was there was my very wonderful cousin and her husband. My cousin and her husband resides in Shanghai, and I really enjoyed spending time with her while I was vacationing. Also, I was very excited for her to meet my companion in person. My cousin was a very valuable resource since she & her husband each own & drive their own cars in Shanghai, so they were able to take us to various local places we wouldn’t have otherwise known about.

I’ve visited Shanghai a couple of times before, but I was always traveling with my parents, & my mom can speak fluent Mandarin & partial Shanghainese. So it was easy to get around and have my mom do all the talking and translating for us. Plus, that also meant that we would have lots of family obligations since my mom still has relatives living in Shanghai (hence my cousin). With all of those family events going on…I was always being shuffled & chauffeured around by my relatives & had no time to go out & see things for myself. I’ve also been to Beijing as well, but that was for a student youth program, & it’s hard to explore on your own when the head teacher/instructor has each day’s itinerary mapped out for you. All the students pile onto a tour bus & we get shuffled from one small town to the next for a small blip of sightseeing & Kodak moments.

Traveling with my companion, no matter where we go to, we like to keep things fresh & not really stick to a strict itinerary. When we leave our hotel for the day there are only 2 essential items we must have at all times: 1. our cell phones (for emergencies) & 2. a guidebook of the city. Our guidebook of choice, if it has a matching city, is written by superfuture (called superfuture guide). This is our favorite guidebook publication because it breaks down each category (eating, shopping, entertainment) by the city’s districts. Whenever my companion & I travel to Tokyo, we always print out a superfuture guide & bring it with us as if it were our travel bible. My companion & I love to choose a random destination for the day & just walk around the district & explore with our own eyes. We were very fortunate that both of us could speak a moderate amount of Mandarin (& my companion can read some Chinese characters), so we were able to get around by ourselves.

On this particular trip, my companion was going to Shanghai for business, & I was tagging along with him. Every day after work, I’d either meet my companion at the hotel so he could drop off his briefcase, or take the subway & meet him somewhere, & we would spend hours roaming the streets just like the locals. On his days off, we’d wake up super early & head out for some breakfast & a quick ride on the subway before we hit the mid-morning human traffic jam. We would often spend our days hopping from one district to another, checking out local shops & small cafes, as well as visiting famous parks & landmarks. We explored the large conglomerate shopping malls, to the small mom n’ pop shops, to the local bazaar selling those glaringly obvious knockoffs. We went on an eating spree (every foodie’s dream)…from local cafes & mid-range restaurants, to fancy restaurants, to Hong Kong style snack shops, to fast food joints. We ate it all…cheap to expensive….& we didn’t care what havoc this was wreaking on our waistlines & digestive tracts.

Overall, this trip was one of the most fun & eye-opening vacations I’ve ever experienced. I am very grateful to my cousin for being “that someone we know in-town” & for being such a gracious hostess. Here are some of the highlights of our Shanghai trip: