Month: July 2013

  • Everything Could Be An Adventure

    In my personal life, I always try to find joy in little things.

    I don't do much planning while I'm traveling. I walk around aimlessly, I go where I see people.
    For every type of scene, however ordinary it is, there's always a different type of beauty.
    Sometimes it's the architecture, sometimes it's the crowd, other times it's what you make out of a situation.
    I almost always stumble across interesting encounters.
    I'm in the Bay area right now.
    I had a little adventure this morning......
    I was trying to catch the 11:41am CalTrain, the train comes every hour so I was running furiously to the station in my gimongous backpack.
    I made it just in time.
    The ticket vending machine wouldn't take my bill nor my credit card and I had no coins. 
    As I continued to struggle with the machine, the train rolled into the station.
    I had two options: hop on, or wait another hour.
    I looked down on the floor and saw a handful of littered ticket stubs.
    I made my decision very quickly.
    I picked up an used stub, and hopped onto the train with it in hand.
    I figured, I'd talk my way out of it when I  need to.
    So that was my adventure this morning.
    I feel so badass.

  • Old Couples

    Since my dad passed away when I was a little girl, I never had the opportunity to watch old couples interact.

    I moved into my mom and her boyfriend's place recently.
    Their dialogues open my eyes to a form of interaction I'm not familiar with.
    -------
    Mom's bf: "Jen. Jen. Jen."
    Mom: "Don't call me, you call me I die early."
    Mom's bf chuckles.
    -------
    Mom walks into their bedroom from the living room.
    Mom: "You ask me why I come in. I come in because I misssss yooooou."
    Mom again: "But you know that not true. I come in because air con."
    Mom chuckles.
    -------
    Mom's bf rummages through the fridge.
    Mom: "No no no no... don't touch. This for Ling. Don't touch."
    Mom again: "You eat this. Healthy."
    And she hands him a plate of vegetables.
    -------
    Mom's phone often rings around the same time her boyfriend gets off work. Then, my mom would gather her keys and wallet and head downstairs. 20 minutes later, those two would re-emerge together with Tim Horton's coffee in their hands. This is their after-work routine coffee run. They do everything together.
    I admit, it's kind of cute.
    And I'm glad she's happy.
    -------
    Related Picture

    My sentiment about my move vs her sentiment about my move.
    I'm the skinnier one.

  • Agitation

    It's Thursday July 11, the night before Night It Up! 

    PUYOers are on site setting up.
    I am locked behind the computer trying to close a project or else I cannot leave for the weekend.
    This. Is. So. Painful.
    I rarely say this about work. But this is one of those rare moments that I do not want to be working.
    May I finish this damn thing in time so that I can get on site at a decent hour tomorrow.
    So agitated

  • I'm Pulling A Second Harvest Truck!

    Hi Friends,

    I'm pulling a truck!

    On July 14, I will be pulling a truck in support of Second Harvest, a charity that collects good food from grocery retailers and redistribute these food to people in need.

    Second Harvest is Power Unit Youth Organization's (PUYO) beneficiary for 2013. If you don't already know, I've been involved with PUYO for over a decade. So whenever you ask me, "How was your weekend?" and I respond with a "Did nonprofit stuff" - this is it.

    I'm pulling a truck for two reasons:

    • PUYO Beneficiary Team has worked hard to put this initiative together, I want to support them.
    • Having to beg for food is not easy. A dollar or two won’t hurt most of us. But, it could make a difference to some people.

     

    A long time ago, an acquaintance told me he once got hogdog-robbed. A vagabond ran away with my friend's hotdog while my friend was strolling down the street. The topic came up because we were waiting for our hotdogs. It was supposed to be a funny story but it made me sad. To take such a high risk for something as small as a hotdog, the vagabond must be really hungry.

    You can read more about where I stand on this topic here:

    How Should I React to Panhandlers

    If you do donate, thank you :)

    If you don’t donate, thank you too, you made it this far :)

    Link to my fundraising page, click 'Sponsor Me' to donate:

    Ling Chung Pulls A Truck For Second Harvest

    Thanks again! 

    Ling

     

  • When Plans Don't Work

    "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." - Joseph Campbell.

     When my plans don't unfold the way I want them to, I sink into a default way of thinking:

     "Ling, next steps. Think."

     "Make it work."

     "How can you make the most out of what you have?"

    Today, as I was going through this again, I stopped myself.

    This constant exercise of evaluating options hurt my head.

    I don't always need to be making decisions about my life.

    What's the hurry?

    When plans don't work, I have this tendency of wanting to fix the situation.

    Well, I don't need to.

    Accept and let it be.