Be Kind. Rewind

Watched a movie today, called "Be Kind. Rewind." A really small movie that kind of just slipped by the mainstream eyes but is actually pretty good! It was funny and also contained a good message. Definitely recommend it! Also did some preparation for teaching my class and some translation at the monastery. A long day indeed.

Driving up to Cttb tml and I'm gonna be up there for a week teaching summer camp. So blog readers, next post should be in July! Till then, Take care! Be safe! and be happy! =)

Torture session 3

Went for my 3rd torture session today. I was shouting, shouting, shouting, to a point that the doctor was not doing anything but I was still shouting "Arghh!!" Then she said "what are you shouting about? I am not doing anything at all!" ...=P But, but but... but it was really scary... then while talking halfway, she suddenly gave her finishing moves. I felt a rush of adrenalin into my head and the next thing I know, she said "Ok, that's it. Next week you don't have to come anymore." My back felt straight, my ribs were leveled for the first time too. I felt different. As I walked out, I started to slouch again out of habit, and she immediately said "What are u doing! Stomach In, Chest Out! Walk upright!" Feels like military all over again.... -.-

Snake

Went jogging this morning n on my way back, saw a snake in the middle of the road. The sun was really hot n it seemed to be drying up. So I picked it up and placed it on the side walk, ran back home and brought a basin of water and placed it in the water to cool it down, but it was too late... the snake was no longer moving... sobz sobz.. so I said some prayers and left it under a bush.

Came home and Sandy had showed up! She just came back from Taiwan and bought a really cool bag that I asked her to help me get! Heez... Continued my transliteration work on 藥性賦 for a few more hours and then started planning for the kids summer camp. Supposed to teach a class on Buddhism and on Cherishing Life to a bunch of kids aged 10-15. Think I might use Anime to teach dharma! Lolz.. or maybe just play some games. Planning still in progress...

Outing

Went out with Andrew, Julia and Sunny to SF today! Always fun to hang out with my "siblings"!!! Lolz. Most of the time, we were walking aimlessly, following the infamous... "just walk straight" direction. Lolz. Walked into Ross as Sunny and Andrew wanted to look at shoes. In the end, Sunny decides to convince into buying a new pair of shoes... =.=...


Pic 1: Me, Andrew & Sunny
Pic 2: Getting convinced to buy shoes...


Shoes, shoes and more shoes, so hard to choose. The red shoes reminds me of Ronald MacDonalds! Lolz... They were size 20!


As I am known to change my mind right at the last minute, they decided to block the cashier's exit so that I can't escape. So I had no choice but to buy it. Lolz. What will I do without them... without them, i'd probably walk out empty handed again and be wandering about in my tattered Mizunos... =P! And thanks Julia for the photos! =)

Came back home and watched "Kung Fu Panda." Hella Funny! Should go watch! hahaz

3sir Bravo

Went to be a examination subject today. The examinees were suppose to look at me and take my pulse and then report my condition for their test. Quite fun. And i get paid! Lolz. So the general consensus is: Has glitter in the eyes, pinkish glow in face, normal tongue with slight red dots representing heat, but dry skin & weak pulse in general... lolz... Guess I'm not in that bad of a shape afterall! Glitter in eyes... Lolz... what's that supposed to mean? hahaz

Came back and read the blogs of my fellow commanders from 3 SIR Bravo. Suddenly everyone is starting to blog! Lolz... Cool! That way I can know how things are going back in camp. Really sorry that I can't be the OC of 12th mono... Really really wished to be though... But no matter what, once a commander of Bravo, always a commander of Bravo! We'll always be a family!

Movie

Was thinkin about how long it has been since i went to the movies yesterday and today, I went to the movies with Julia & Andrew! We watched Iron Man. The movie was really cool, but the ending was kinda iffy...lolz. Then we had Gelato ice creams before heading back to the monastery.

Lecture today was pretty interesting too, it was about psychic powers and spiritual penetrations of the Bodhisattva. Rev Heng Sure also showed us some pictures from his conferences from Kentucky and Taiwan!

Got back home around 11pm and tot I walked into the wrong house! The entire place was sparkling clean! All the tables were gleaming. Then I found out that our new housemate is a professional house cleaner! Hmmmz... that means I can be messy now... Muahahaha!!! *evil grinz*

And its Father's Day tml! Called my dad but he was in a meeting... sigh... Oh well, Happy Father's Day dad, and to all the dads out there!

Blogskin

Yup, changed my blogskin again, coz something went wrong with the layout of the other one... so its back to the basic layout again..

Went for another torture session with the doctor at Chinatown after dragging myself out of bed from Andrew's. Sleepy... but it wasn't long before i was wide awake again... especially when the doctors elbow went all the way into the bone! But I didn't scream that much this time, so I thanked her for going easy on me at the end of the session and she said, "Who says i went easy? It was the usual strength. You just got used to it." Serious? I never tot anyone could possibly ever get used to such intensity. It was still painful thou... I was just... keeping my mouth shut and suffering in silence... Sobz, sobz...

Went to school after and spent 3 hours grading papers for my teacher. Being a teacher's assistant ain't easy man.... Earning money is even more difficult...

And my dad's business friend sent me the pictures from last week when I was being Mr. Tour Guide.

Can you believe it... she's already an owner of a huge business? She looks really really young. Sigh... what am I doing?..... what am i doing?....

Dvbs Graduation

Finished my Physiology and Medical Terms finals early and went to pick Aunt Guo Juan up b4 heading to Cttb for the boys school graduation ceremony. Was so sleepy during the drive up, thankfully there was someone to talk to.

It was a simple ceremony with only 6 graduates, and their speeches were all hilarious and most importantly, from the heart. That's the beauty of coming from a small school, everyone is part of the family. Then of course came the food, autographs and photo-taking time!



Finally left at around 8pm. On the way back, stopped by Taco Bell for some Chalupas and Mango Smoothies with Andrew and his mom! Lolz. Felt really fun, been ages since I ate at fast food restaurants with someone else... Finally reached Andrew's place at almost midnight so decided to crash there again. And this time, lil Sis Julia is back too! So we chatted till almost 3am before going to bed. Although I was really sleepy, I wanted chat too. It really felt like one big family then! Thanks lil bro and sis! =)

Finals...

So fast, 2 quarters have gone by and its Finals week again... Memorizations, Regurgitations and of course, Procrastinations... Took my TCM Fundamentals and Meridian Points Exam today. Missed a few questions on Fundamentals but got perfect score for Points! Guess the late night crammings paid off. 2 down, 2 more to go...

Was used by my teacher after to be a model for the points examination practical. But I got all the really cute girls in class! So no complains! I willingly "sacrifice" my body... Hahahaz. Also found out that the study notes I created and emailed to a friend got circulated around the school and now everyone's using it. Hmmz... potential business idea huhz.. hahaz

Went for an acupuncture treatment after and the person seeing was Marissa! What a coincidence, I just got to know her yesterday. So I got a pretty intense treatment. 15 needles in total. (4 on my feets, 2 in my legs, 4 in my abdomen, 2 in my hands, 2 on the sides of my head and 1 on the top). Got more herbs to try out brewing too! Double double toil and trouble....

Went up to Cttb again for Master Hsuan Hua's Nirvana Memorial. The moment I stepped into the Dining hall, Tommy spotted me and his face immediately lighted up and broke into a wide smile as he waved to me. Then Charlie saw me, then Jim, then Jackie, then the rest of the boys school... and one by one, their faces all lit up with a glow and broke into smiles! Then of course there's all the usual hugs and all that... this is the real reason why it gives me so much joy to be in cttb all the time. Its the people there. Its the spirit of welcome and joy whenever you go up there.

And I even got a new nickname this time - Jonfen... Coz the boys school was watching a movie the night before and the main character's name was also Jonathan but kept getting mispronounced in the movie as Jonfen... then the 1st person that came to their minds was... Me... =.=... So for the entire 2 days I was up there, I kept hearing "Hey JOnfen! Jonfen!"... but I guess I should be thankful that they even thought of me during the movie... oh wellz...

The night before the ceremony, we helped in the kitchen doing major cooking of the desserts:


Pic 1: Sugar High!
Pic 2: Double Double Toil and Trouble...
Pic 3: Our artists


The Master Pieces by Aunt Guo Juan

It was an entire night's work. Finally finished at about 9pm. After my shower, went to hang around with the students for a while till it was 11:00pm and Mr K shooed us to bed. Lolz. As it was a big event all the boarding rooms were taken up, so after getting permission from Mr K, I was allowed to sleep in the dorms! Cool! hahaz... He also suggested that I become a Dorm Teacher... hmmz... that'll be difficult thou. But yah, went to crash in my brother Andrew's room! Hahz.

Sunday Morning the Ceremony begins:



During the ceremony, I saw Eric too! This time, it was my turn to break into smiles! Lolz... Really missed this guy, last time i saw him was 2 months ago! And that time, he even wanted to skip school so that we could hang out more but I told him not to.. and who knows... it'll be another 2 months before we met again.. sigh... but i guess that was the right thing to do. Too bad I didn't get to even say hi though... was too busy helping out with trash, recycling, cleaning up and all. But I guess that smile exchange was better than nothing! =)

Thousands of people showed up for the ceremony. This is probably the biggest event every year as all these people show up remembering the kindness that they have been shown by the Founder when he was alive and even after. For me, I'm just thankful that he created this paradise on earth, for this is the place where I made many many true and wonderful friends...

Sis

My Sister Jolyna came over to visit today! So I brought her around my neighborhood, then cooked dinner for her. No pictures this time, but the food came out delicious! (*Phew* sigh of relief) Hahz.. And guess what lil sis Julia, my sister's going to Thurgood Marshall in UCSD too! Lolz! OOoo my 2 sisters are going to be in the same college! Hahaz.. thats so cool! Then maybe I should visit sometime in the future! Lolz!

Before she came, studied the whole day too, and also watched a bit of Naruto & Bleach & Shaman King... of course man! Animes! How can i leave them out? They're my breaks! Naruto Shippuden 62 was hilarious! hahaz.. I love animes! hahaz

Torture

Just came back from a torture session... Well, its actually for my back injury. Went to look for this physician in Chinatown. She was good, but the treatment was really painful. I am usually pretty good at tolerating pain... but this time... It was intense. She hit several sore spots that sent me yelling from the top of my lungs! I think all the other tenants in the 5 story building heard me... While walking out, everyone was looking at me with weird eyes... Oh wellz... Feels good to shout once a while... Lolz

Came back home and chatted with my little cousins on MSN! Jerad and Jewel! So cute right? Lolz... Been a long time since I met them... talking with them makes me miss them so much! Lolz... Remembered Jerad when he was still a baby.(I'm talking like an old man now.. lolz) Now he's 10! 10 years old and he's already using webcam and msn! The generation is really different... Hmmz what was I doing when i was 10? Playing tic tac toe, marbles and snake and ladder? Lolz... Okiez... i should stop talking.. revealing too much of my antique era...

And he even started a blog after that! Hahaz... check it out: Jerad Woon

Thank you

It always brings a smile to my face...
Seeing your name appear in my phone...
Those simple messages mean alot...
Thank you so so much......... =)

Explore

Met my dad's business friend today. She was much younger than I expected. From her looks, I'd say she's somewhere in her late twenties.. and she's already CEO of a multi million dollar company with business all around the world! And what am I doing?... I'm still slugging through books, books and more books... *dejected*...

So I brought her and her mom around SF, went to Golden Gate, to City Hall, along market street and around Pacifica, all within 2 hours. She had a flight to catch. At the airport, she said the next time I ever to go Singapore or Taiwan, let her know, so that she can bring me around too! Lolz... Hmmz... I don't think I'll need bringing around in Singapore.. hahaz... But that was kind of her to offer.

Came back home, couldn't study. So I went shopping for groceries and clothes. Everything here is L or XL or XXL or XXXL... =.=... sux.. So i had to go to the children's section to look for clothes....

Got back home and started cooking. Because it was so cold, I decided to do curry again... this time, Indian Curry, the really really spicy kind! Prepared too much ingredient again as always, and the pot almost overflowed. Gotta improve on my estimation skill. And I prepared too many potatoes, so I baked the remainder with cheese! Lolz.. Yeah... all the fattening stuff...


There you go.. my curry, my cheesy potato, and the complete set! Lolz... Hmmz.. I realize my blog alot of pictures of food... Show's what I'm thinking of most of the time... Lolz! Well actually... got reason one! Its to tell my mom, dun worry! I'm eating well! Seee.... Lolz

And guess what... I forgot to buy a light bulb! -.-... Yet another night of darkness...

Psyched

Received a call fr my dad at 4am to go pick up his business friend from the airport at 10. So i rested a lil while more, then went as told and waited and waited and waited... nobody showed up. I tried calling her phone, it was off all the while. When I finally got hold of her, found out she was in Mexico, arriving SF at 10pm =.=... half my day just disappeared like that...

Meanwhile, there were many flights fr Japan arriving and the Japanese were all very well dressed and when meeting their hosts, kept bowing and bowing out of courtesy. So cool... Lolz... I like Japanese culture.... I miss Japan... and I realize I like people watching too... Lolz!

Had one of those really cool dreams again, where I made new friends in dreamland. Just a group of us, hanging around in some resort place, living the carefree life! Shiok! And like the dream before, it felt so real... and we were having so much fun and they were inviting me to another dimension when suddenly the call at 4am woke me up... Bummer.... =.=... Hmmz... did the call save me instead? Mite have continued dreaming and dreaming... Lolz

And my room lamp blew up out of a sudden today... living in total darkness now... Ooh.. N my midnite karaoke singing housemate and his girlfriend moved out yesterday! finally, there is peace...Lolz... okiez.. he's not so bad actually... N so the landlord posted an ad on craigslist looking for another tenant. Here's the ad:

Anyone interested? Lolz

Happiness

Went to BBM for lecture again. Today, Marty was lecturing on the Avatamsaka Sutra, and it was an extremely interesting lecture. Other than explaining the sutra, he also told stories from the pilgrimage. (For those who don't know, back in the 70's, Marty and Rev Heng Sure did a 3 steps 1 bow pilgrimage from LA to Ukiah, a total of 800 over miles. Took them over 2 years and 9 months to complete the pilgrimage. They basically just left with their robes, a vehicle to sleep in, and the avatamsaka sutra. Thats all, and came back with tons of amazing stories!)

There were lots of wonderful quotes, too many to write here, but here's a good one. Marty was saying some of his students from Yale University were conducting a study on happiness and the results were that the source of happiness stems from 3 main things:
1. Having Good Relationship with Family and Friends
2. Having Something Creative in your Life - Music, Art, Dance, Spiritual Practice...
3. Doing Something Meaningful that Benefits the World
There you go.. your solution to finding happiness =)

The lecture was very interesting and all, but there was 1 moment where i spaced out and went along with my usual day dreaming habits and just that moment, Marty suddenly asked out of the blue "Jonathan... Where's the edge of the universe?" I was caught... 被發現了。。。

Anyway, here's some more pictures from last week's cooking adventures... (Thanks to Amanda & Kiki! I still don't really know how to distinguish you 2 from each other... =P)


Pic 1: The entire cooking team!
Pic 2: Pretending to be busy...


Pic 1: Providing entertainment... Or attempting to at least... Lolz
Pic 2: Goofing around in the back...


The best part... IcE CREAMZ!!! Lolz... And we had Avocado flavored ice creamz! Yummy!