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First #geocache in 2015! Can't wait for many more to come in 2026. Thanks @mistermatt2u for getting us hooked on @geocaching (at Virginia Beach, Virginia)

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Rich Roll's episode with Fully Raw Kristina got me thinking about going mostly raw foods. Admittingly, I have been eating way too much sugar and processed food. Yes, I'm starting to think that cooked dishes that I've been eating all my life are devoid of life and supple nutrients. As of late, I find that I don't have a lot of time to prepare, cook, and clean. John helps with the aftermath (and I am so grateful) but it still eats into our "Thao-John" time. I mostly lament losing my personal "T" time. Let this be the first raw meal of this week :) EEEK! Let's go GREEN! As Kristina says, we take "eat the rainwbow" to the top with this diet. Let's see if I turn green. They say you are what you eat, after all! Monochrome meal. Spinach, bell peppers, cucumbers, ogra, mint, Mom's special sauce #RawEating #GoGreen #VeggieLover

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HAPPY 2015. A good feeling about this. @einfangen

This is the year that I found out John isn't a big fan of celebrating the new years. I have always celebrated because that's what we're supposed to do. Everyone does it! Perhaps, that's not a good enough reason to celebrate. Let's see what we do next year!

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They don't make vending machines like this anymore. This is not kid friendly! The top row is a little too high for me. #Venice #LiveAndTravel #Adventures #LostInTime

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It goes round and round! #Adventures #NationalHarbor #CapitalWheel

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Detox smoothie before the holiday food babies #Vegan #GlutenFree #AllergiesFree #FoodMatters

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Still can't believe I was there in November of 2010. When you step foot on this imperial palace, you are engulfed in its vastness and lose a sense of where you are. You can't help look for the exit because it seems to never end!

Note*: That's not me taking in the landscape although she does look like me. I'm snapping the picture and awing at the scenery at the same time.

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It is worth watching once in a while to find freshness in life. 

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Human Connections

Ever heard of six degree of separation? or even less? This points to an intriguing fact that the world is indeed much smaller than you think. A stranger you see passing by could be a friend of a friend of a friend of your best friend. This could be taken up to more intimate levels where you find that same stranger at your birthday party because it turns out that this 'stranger' is in fact your your brother's girlfriend. Sure, it could be sheer coincidence, but life is interesting in that it creates paths so that certain people are bound to meet. For this reason, things happen for a reason and the people that you meet and have met exist for a special reason, even though you may not discern that now. Therefore, it is important to reflect on the relationships you have with people and count your blessings. 

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Simple Pleasure 3

You stare at the blackboard and try to comprehend the significance of squiggles on the board as your teacher is furiously substituting in equations and drawing graphs. While she's doing that what I'm I doing? One big question mark. HUH? After 10 minutes of futile attempt you give up and become a zombie. You become a zombie in a sense that when you're done taking notes, you suddenly can't recall writing all this down. Or after class you try to look at your notes and are convinced that someone had written these for you. Once you sit down with a textbook and begin perusing it, you can feel it when things begin to click. It's analogous to the feeling of fulfilment when you finally find the missing puzzle piece. The feeling of completeness and perfection is overwhelming.

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No Free Lunch

I learned a very fundamental principle about life in Economics: There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. 

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Sometimes I forget how blessed I am to be living where I am right now. We are so absorbed in our "world" that we neglect to think about how people live in other societies, countries and continents. 

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Need a dab of inspiration in your life? 

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I am the master of my fate: I am the caption of my soul.

Invictus  William Ernest Henle

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Fox Fur

August 3, 2010 

The most memorable moment of my day happened in Econ Discussion today. I sat right behind Jenna and this unnamed guy and witnessed it all. (I will refer to him as Guy throughout this post). The following event made me laugh out loud, literally! 

Jenna was waiting for the TA to start. She was getting her stuff out when something on her keychain caught her attention and suddenly she turned to the boy sitting adjacent to her, Guy, while pointing at what looked to me like a warm fuzzy. This is what ensued: 

Jenna (eagerly pointing to warm fuzzy): This is fox fur! It's real fox fur!!

Guy (murmuring so I couldn't really hear what he said; Jenna leaning in): ...feel bad...fox..

Jenna (confused, eyebrows raised): HUH? feel bad for fox? 

Guy (murmuring again): ................

Jenna (confused): huh? 

Guy (murmuring once again): .........

Pause--as TA begins teaching...

Jenna (suddenly jerks back): Oh-my-gosh. Now I feel bad, really bad. Pooor fox! :( 

  Jenna on left, Guy on right, wolf in the middle. 

I conversed with Jenna after class about her "foxy" fuzzy and asked her to let me feel it. I couldn't help to wonder how fox fur felt and what made it authentic fox fur, as Jenna was so eagerly trying to convince Guy. She revealed that her friend bought that little fuzzy for $50 in China. 'Til this day I'm still not convinced. 

I was able to fill in the gaps after talking to Jenna. Basically, she told me that Guy shared with her his feelings about dying the fox fur teal. She also mentioned that he "felt sorry" for the fox, which made Jenna realize that she, too, should have sympathy for it. 

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Virtual Friends vs. Real Friends

Imagine a world in which Facebook is nonexistent. *GASP* How on earth will I communicate with my closest friends? How do I stay connected on what they're doing? Eventually we will drift apart. *SIGH* Friendship is so overrated!

Here are alternative methods for keeping in touch with your friends. Give it some thought before you deem it lame. 

- Send postcards while you're traveling. Yes, it will cost you money (or lots of money depending on where you are) but try  to give more than you take. 

- Use snail mail and handwrite letters. (I love!) 

- Use your email account to share photos and stories with friends. Your email account will serve a higher purpose than receiving junk mail and store newsletters and discounts. 

- Actually use your anytime minutes on the weekdays to call people. Use as much of your free minutes on the weekend. God dang it! It's FREE! 

- Use up your unlimited text messages. Have limited texting and minutes? Call after 9 pm or 7pm. 

- Have lunch and dinner with friends and actually see their faces in real time. 

- Video chat on Skype or iChat. 

- Meet one-on-one and have heart-to-heart conversations and possibly tear up. 

So my friends, perhaps you should start getting acquainted to these methods of maintaining relationships. What will happen when Facebook is no longer in, as what happened to Myspace? Word. 

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Simple Pleasure 2

I'm like a kid who just found her missing toy when I have enough change (in coins) so I can save a dollar and also lighten my wallet. This is what I mean when I said "I can save a dollar". So a single Bobos bagel with plain cream cheese is $1.74 (tax included). I rarely have change, but today I did! I counted my change and I had exactly 74 cents! EEEEKK! I handed a one dollar bill and heavy, clanky metal coins over to the cashier thinking, "Wow! My bagel was only a DOLLAR! Way better than Micky D's Dollar Menu!" As for "lighten my wallet", I'm sure all of you know what it's like to lug coins around. It's like wearing metal shoes!