As some of you know I went to Austin for training Monday. My plane going out to Texas lost power to one of the engines while pulling out from the gate thus losing power to the cabin. On my way to the hotel from the airport, my shuttle hit a bird in flight while on the highway.
They say things come in three…here is my third:
Wednesday, I left on time at 8:00 pm from Austin for a 30 minute connecting flight to Dallas. We were hovering in the sky over the Dallas airport but could not land due to a fast oncoming thunder storm. In the addition to depleting fuel supply, we were forced to fly back to Austin to refuel. We took off from Austin around 9pm…again, and my connecting flight from Dallas to Kansas City had been delayed to 10:30pm. The thunderstorm caused lots of delays, and our plane to KC was coming from Oklahoma and was last in line to refuel and take off from Oklahoma runways, and so we were delayed for lift off back to KC till 12:40 am. Apparently the plane didn’t leave Oklahoma till 12:45 am, so our flight was delayed again to 2:00 am… 2:15 am…. then at 2:30 am.
While waiting overnight at the Dallas airport, an announcement was made informing us that at 1:30 in the morning the entire airport will be testing their emergency alarm system. So from 1:30 am to 2:00am, there was continuous blaring of sirens and emergency announcements. I could barely here the person in front of me. Oh ya, on top of that no free internet connection.
The plane finally landed in Dallas at 1:45 am, however, due to working union policies, pilots and flight attendants were allowed to work a certain amount of hours. Our original crew expired and they had to scramble and put together another flight crew. We couldn’t board the plane till the entire crew has been assembled. We waited on the first officer to show up till 3:00 am.
As our plane was pulling away from the gate at 3:17 am and the captain was making his usual announcements when suddenly the power in the entire plane shut down. This was different from the first power failure I experience on my way to Texas because the engine had completely gone down as well. We had to be taxied back to the gate and wait while they ran tests and restarted the engines. We flew to Kansas City in the dark because the power in the cabin never came back on. I didn’t land in Kansas City till 6:30 am this morning.
If you were wondering what airline it was, it was American Airlines. What can I say, it was one of those nights…or mornings.
Monday, August 18, 2008
8/7/07 – Finding Myself in my work
So things have not been going as well as I had initially planned. It comes a time when a relationship is no longer working out and one must know when to turn and walk away. The company I so desperately want to be a part of, is now a lost cause. They haven’t canned me yet but you can tell the honeymoon period was over. As Rana had pointed out, “It was like you [and that company] were in a bad marriage.” What made my walking away even harder was that they didn’t even notice that I was gone. My office was already assigned to their new part-time assistant. I felt foolish because I had needed them more than they needed me.
When times get too tough for me to handle alone, there were always people there to help me pick up the pieces. But this time, things were different. My husband is out of town getting into the swing of the fall semester, my siblings were out discovering the world of dating, and my best friend found someone else who could be more than a best friend. Work is stressing me out and ProHomes, a home warranty company, is utterly useless in getting the pipes sealed and the holes fixed in my new home which I have been in now for only four weeks. Their incompetence and laziness seemed to be the standard service package and their rudeness a bonus home warming gift. So to reiterate I am absolutely alone and frustrated and not quite sure what to do with all the thoughts in my head, which I had been avoiding all these years with numerous remodeling projects and excessive shopping.
Within my new found solitude and silence, I have discovered I had thoughts and anxieties I didn’t want to face alone. I needed people…no… I depended on people to distract me from them. I needed my husband to tell me things will always be ok, and I needed my friends to make me laugh when I am down. The time has come that I, now, must be forced to face and confront myself …alone. However, it had been so long since I dealt with these thoughts, I was not sure where to begin. I even googled online on how to make friends. A question then occurred to me. When was it the last time I didn’t mind being alone? And the answers I found, had revolved around the times when I was doing something I loved. I love music. I had played the violin and the piano through school into my college years. I love art. There was a time when I could not bare to go through a day without a sketch book and pencil in my hand. Sadly, I do not remember when the last time I drew or painted in the past year. I also love to be challenged with Sudoku,a number puzzle. I have also always wanted to learn how to ballroom dance like the people you see in the movies.
It is funny how I had so many interests throughout my life and how easily they were lost and forgotten among the muckiness of the everyday adult life and the “crap” we all go through to get by on this rock. I had lost myself and this dreadful silence helped me realize that. We get all caught up in our work, chasing the bills, purchasing bigger and better things, and taking care of others, that we forget and eventually loose ourselves. Instead of wallowing in self pity pondering on my lonely state I decided to do something about it. I unpacked a box from storage (still in the process of unpacking) and pulled out my old art supplies and painting easel. I was going to make good use of the talent God had so graciously bestowed upon me.
I referred to my first project as “The Switzerland Series”. This will be my interpretation of the country during my bike tour through Switzerland, early this year. Once getting into the artistic frame of mind, I find myself looking at my new hometown in a different light. I have noticed water towers situated all over the city. Before, I saw a bulging unattractive structure protruding in the middle of nowhere; but now with all my senses opened, I see a dignified and proud structure surrounded by a vast sea of lush green farm fields below swaying in the wind. The fortifying erection stands day and night throughout the year in solitude, towering, and overseeing the small, peaceful, and beautiful mid-western town. The once simplistic structure with only the task of retaining supplies of water now can be seen as the pride and emblem of this town. Of course with this revelation, I have already set my mind onto my next project after “The Switzerland Series”.
Yesterday, I went to my first group ballroom dance course…alone…and I had such a great time. By the end of the day, my face pained from the excessive smiling. Thus far, I feel I have been reintroduced and rediscovered myself through my works and my activities. From what I have learned so far, I am a pretty interesting individual.
7/24/07- Reality Check
It’s been while since I visited my blog but that doesn’t mean I have not been reflecting on my fate and the direction of my life it has taken me thus far. Last night, I called my sister, who was in California, and she was telling me all the exciting things that have been happening during her internship at the stage set of a popular TV series, “Desperate Housewives”. The actor playing Carlos, the Spanish husband of one of the desperate housewives, was standing behind her and listening to his iPod as they filed into the set between filming. Due to proper stage handling etiquette, my sister didn’t speak to the actor, so that he could remain concentrated on his lines. According to her mentor, actors are under a lot of pressure to learn their lines, which changes frequently throughout day. It is not unusual for actors to receive their scripts only that morning and be ready for filming that same evening. At another instance, my sister could hear Terry Hatcher performing a romantic scene on the other side of the wall from where she stood. It was quite exciting to see the magical workings of television through the eyes and perspective of reality.
“How exciting!” I said to my sister.
I told her I was really envious of her and the direction her career has taken over the years. She had gone to the east side, the west side, up north and down south of the country. She had even gone overseas, went all over Europe, and visited the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. One of my personal life goals were to travel and see the world and here is my sister traveling and doing it as part of her career!
“That’s because our goals are not the same” my sister tried to point out the difference between us. “Your priorities were geared towards financial stability while my priorities were not.”
What she didn’t understand was that stability of finances would be key to funding my traveling adventures. When I do have the funds, I don’t have the vacation time to travel. Pretty ironic don’t you think?
Funny how life can throw you curve balls just when you thought the curve-ball days were dying down after all the struggles and hard work invested thus far. To remind you what has happened since I “proclaimed” to take control of my life after my masters, I was given an opportunity to work at my ideal organization and I had felt it was a once-in-a-life time deal. So I decided to give it a chance and put my “freedom lifestyle” plans on hold. I eventually settled down in the Midwest in a new home. Up to the last minute, my supervisor and director decided to hire someone they knew from a previous work setting. They were, however, optimistic that another full-time position would come up in the next year as they finalize the yearly budget in the next few months. I was assured that I would be strongly considered for the position. Despite the minor set back, I was offered and had accepted a “permanent part-time” position with my ideal organization. In the mean time, I took on another full-time position as a temporary financial patch for my daily living expenses, but I continued to work my part-time position during the weekends.
Two months after hiring the new full-timer, who I will refer as Guy in this blog, Guy took on a couple of interns and hired another part-time individual who could be in the office during the weekday working hours. On top of that, Guy half jokingly said I was too expensive for the organization and told me I need not get access to my company email anyway since there were plans to scrap my account. I was even asked to come in during the weekday to train the interns and part-time to do my job. They were not up front with me about it but I knew I was being phased out of the organization.
So now I’m back to square one and feeling pretty bad due to the fact that I am now sucked back into a situation which I had attempted to avoid in the first place. I am stuck in a passionless job with a dead end future. Despite this sentiment, one can still make out a sliver of silver lining in the clouds. This job has helped me moved on personally and professionally in several ways. For one thing, the income has allowed me to get a beautiful and comfortable home. I was able to achieve one of my goals in becoming financially independent. The status of my position within the company will help me gain credibility when being considered for future jobs. Lastly and best of all, it has done wonders in my self confidence. If I could handle and even improve my work in such a chaotic and stressful environment, I can, from now on, confidently say I am a fast learner and can handle any kinds of stresses in a working environment. This company believed in me and gave me the opportunity to challenge myself, and now I am a better person because of it. Regardless of how grateful I am to this company, I am reminded that life is short and I need to spend it elsewhere, where it would better benefit the growth and the success for both, the organization and myself. As for the original ideal organization, if and when I am let go, it would only be their loss. I will find the perfect position where I can dedicate my time and where my work and creativity can fully be appreciated. I am a young workaholic, looking for a place to dedicate all my long working hours to. As for now, I need to concentrate on the priorities of my life…VACATION! Where should we go next?
5/15/07- Bern to Biel
Biked 30 km from Bern to Biel
Trip out of Bern
As Rana and I suited up by our bikes, the hotel manager asked us if we should reconsider staying an extra day till the weather cleared up. The weather was gloomy and probably the worse of all the days we were in Switzerland. Not only was the rain pouring heavy drops, but it also cold which caused anything exposed to the weather to freeze and ache. Getting out of the town was a bit tricky because every street looked alike. After a couple of U-turns we finally found our familiar red bike signs with arrows out of the town. The paths were more level and Rana and I were able to ride comfortably side by side as we carried a nice conversation during our ride. In the ladder part of our trip, we mostly rode through vineyards and bridges along the river. Luckily the rain only lasted till mid-day and we once again experience great biking climate. Our path to Biel now mainly followed along the Aare River, and we had water views majority of the time. We saw the river start as a small narrow street get wider and faster. It grew and rushed through electricity-generating plants and damns and eventually crashed and merged with other nearby fast flowing rivers. All the rushing rivers eventually converged and flowed into another large bright turquoise lake. At the other land of the lake lied our final destination city, Biel. As we approached into towns the village architectures and wood craft art, which we saw at Meringen and Iseltwald, replaced with modern geometric buildings set on the hill side with large ceiling-to-floor windows framing the perfect view of the lake below. I was very impressed with the artistic modernism; however Rana found it plain and almost ugly. He was convinced the buildings were more of an eye sore which stuck out from the wondrous natural settings like a large colorless-soulless cube.
Beil
The first place we went after reaching the city was the local train station to return our bikes before the offices closed. We are scheduled to leave the next day at six in the morning. We were a bit saddened to finally come to a realization that our trip was at its end, however, glad that we don’t have to sit on those hard bike seats again. Overall, we had a great time but we were also ready to go home. Home was where everyone speaks English and the land of endless all-you-can-eat buffets at cheap low prices. We walked through the main plaza area towards our hotel and Rana pointed out that the street going to the left, for exampleRue de Schlatz was named differently from the same street going to the right, Schlatzstrasse. I explained to Rana that the street names were in fact the same name but one was in French and the other was in German, which read Schlatz Street. The population within the city of Biel consisted of 50% German speakers and 50% French speakers and is said to be the gateway where the Germans and French culture collide in Switzerland. According to a local, the city is equally shared by cultures and traditions of French and Germans and everything is written out in both languages. Biel is also home of company headquarters Omega and Rolex. Rana and I spend our last days in Switzerland tasting pastry sweets and goodies and we each had a 10.00 swiss-franc ice cream desserts. We had practically replaced all the calories we lost biking through the country in the last few days within half an hour. However, it was all worth it. For dinner, we had gyros on the plaza common area, where I had used my German and French interchangeably in just short phases, of course. When I couldn’t think of how to say one thing in French I would say it in German and vise versa with the same person. After dinner and dessert, we walked through an Ikea-like home décor store and we started to think about our new home back in the states. The Europeans have such great styles and creative designs.
Then next morning, we caught our three hour train ride back up to Zurich airport and we finished our last Switzerland meal at a Starbucks, just before boarding our flight home, with 2 cups of lattes and 2 bagel sandwiches which costs us 50.00 Swiss-francs an equivalent of $57.00 in US dollars! Switzerland will be missed but there is no place like home!
5/14/07 – 2nd Day in Bern
The day was relaxing and slow paced, instead of our regular early morning and rush out of the city. So relaxing in fact, Rana, stayed at the hotel and slept a good part of the day. I did manage to get him out to for a little bit of sightseeing and lots of shopping. We mostly windowed shopped because we could not bring ourselves to pay Switzerland’s tourists prices. After all, Rana and I have already done majority of our shopping for ourselves and our families back at Interlaken. We bought cow bells for everyone because we felt it was one of things that will best remind us of the sights and sounds of our bike tour in the countryside. The clanking sounds of a clumsy metal cow bell instantly brings back the memory of us pedaling up and down swelling countryside hills, us alone with the open space, clean air, nothing but the smells of fresh grass and sounds of chirping birds and the occasional mooing cows. Cool breezes brushed against my skin and through my free flowing hair as I cruised leisurely on my bike. Nothing blocked our views, we were on top of the world and the air was so clear we could see off into eternity. There were no other people around and we felt the world was made just for us. No skyscraper in sight, but only clusters of grazing cows, on green undulating hills, that appeared to be the only occupiers of this beautiful land. Clank, clank ahhhh what a beautiful sound.
Einstein’s home was embedded within the building along the shopping district. It was a small narrow home comprised of three floors. It was nothing elaborate; however the décor was left alone as Einstein had left it when he traveled to the United States. His home was very modest and very common. Nothing close to what I had imagined a home of a universal and timeless genus would be like. This reminded me that it does not require much to be able to accomplish great things in this world. Rana was proud to see a Garmin GPS forever linked and encased within Albert Einstein’s home as a demonstration of some of the incredible things accomplished in the world all thanks to the breakthroughs and theoretical contributions made by Mr. M-C-Squared.
It rained sparsely throughout the but I didn’t let it stop me from walking all over town. The art museum was closed on Saturdays and Sundays. The botanical gardens was huge which included seven large green houses filled with plants of all sort of different shapes and sizes from different regions of the world. Best of all, admission was free! For the rest of the day, I continued to scope out any shops I could have possibly missed from my first rounds and I eventually retired back at the hotel. As I walked through the door of my hotel lobby the drizzling rain began to pour down thundering and lightening. Perfect timing.
5/13/07 – Switzerland Day 3 & 4: Thun and Bern
Biked 30 km from Iseltwald to Thun and 30 km from Thun to Bern
Photos
Thun
Today we reached Bern, this time the views were of the familiar city view. Our hotel window looked into the windows a business building next door. Yesterday’s hotel in Thun was also in the city but it did have a view of a fantastic castle on top of the hill. The view of the castle from our room can be easily seen when you stick your head out the window and look up to your right. I didn’t get the chance to make a log entry yesterday, due to the fact that when we finally arrived at the Thun hotel, we were really tired and stressed out from riding through the city’s busy traffic. That morning we left Iseltwald in the rainy morning on a primarily uphill ride into Thun. The scenic views of the countryside and simple life in the mountains near the Beinz Lake slowly merged into an urbanistic and toursity environment as we approached Interlaken, which was a city situated between two major lakes, the Beinz and Thunder Lake.
Our bike trail instructions suggested an alternative route to avoid the busy traffic, which took us, again on an uphill climb. In addition to experiencing fewer traffic flows along our biking paths, we were lead into beautiful panoramic overviews of the villages below which flanked on both sides of Thunder Lake companied with snow capped peaks and lush green mountains as the perfect finishing touches to this picturesque experience. By then, the rainy weather had long cleared exposing the bright blue sky leaving behind only to cool temperatures. When it did rain, Rana and I were very thankful for the cool breezes and the covering of the sweltering sun that came with the rainy weather. While making our way into Thun, we made a stop at Beatusburg and visited the St. Beatus caves up in the mountains. Rana and I carried our bikes up the stone stairways up untill we got tired. We didn’t know how much further the stairs would continue and we had made it far enough that we didn’t want to the abandon our search for these “legendary” caves. We locked up our bikes, left them behind on the side of the mountain and we continued up the mountain towards the St. Beatus Caves. The tour up took us about 1 km back into the caves. The St. Beatus cave tours began in 1901 and our tour guide, a Canadian, had been in the caves sixty years ago as a young boy. The legend of the caves pertains to how Saint Beatus helped spread Christianity throughout the world by slaying a dragon in the cave thus freeing the local pagans from fear and evil. The dragon was plunged into Thunder Lake and the lake engulfed it, never to be seen again. Yay St. Beatus! Besides the interesting and clearly fictitious tale, the caves were filled with waterfalls and flowing streams.
To avoid the busy weekend (Sat.) traffic we again took an alternative route which took us and our bikes onto the ferry boat from Oberhofen completing the remaining distance to Thun. Our way from the ferry station to our hotel was quite stressful as we rode our bikes on the streets which shared with the busy traffic all the while searching for directions towards our next hotel among the speeding vehicles. Our hotel in Thun was fine but not as impressive as our last two hotel stays. Obviously people in the city were not of the same type as the ones in the country. After traveling a distance of about 30 km, and shuffling around the busy streets, Rana and I slept simply retired for the rest of the day. Rana and I were eager to leave Thun the next morning and, thankfully, our bike trip from Thun to Bern was once again peaceful, quiet, and relaxing. The route took us away from the cities and highways into the back gravel trails running along the Aare River, and paved paths that weaved between farm fields, city parks, and small rural towns. Most businesses, restaurants, and shops were closed since today was Sunday. The city and towns were all quiet and closed up for the most part. We were not crowded nor rushed on our trip, except for the occasional old people passing us up on their bikes…twice . We took some time out throughout the trip and stopped just about anywhere and everywhere for a good picture. Unlike me, Switzerland is very photogenic! The hotel in Bern was nicer and cleaner than the hotel in Thun, however the view was nothing near the impressive spectrum. Actually our room window looked straight into the building next door where city transportation vehicles parked during the nights.
Before we retired for the day, Rana and I walked into the center of Bern where we discovered where everyone went on a Sunday evening. The shops remained closed, but the park cafes, restaurants, riverside parks, and outdoor eateries were packed with locals and tourists. People continued to come in by the bus loads. Many people ate, socialized and window shopped; while kids were running and playing around fountains where water spit up from the floor, and still many others admired the views the town had to offer among the cobbled stone walkways and bridges flanked by traditional Swiss architecture. One word, WOW! Instead of the natural wonders, I was wowed by the artistic character of the town, the undulating old buildings on the banks of fast rolling currents of the Aare River, towering steeples and bell towers of the Parliament building and again with blue snow capped jagged mountains, now in the far distance, as the backdrop. I do have to admit however, that a large part of my excitement for Bern could be attributed to the endless streets and alley ways of shopping. As recommended by our travel agent, we are scheduled to stay an extra night in Bern, and we have plans to continue shopping as well as visit the Switerland Kunstmuseum (art museum), Botanical Gardens, as well as Albert Einstein’s home. Again everything here closes early so we have to plan accordingly. Everything offen (opens) around 10:00 und gesclossen (closes) 17:00 hr. (5:00pm)
5/11/07 – Swizterland Day 2: Iseltwald
Biked 19 km from Meringen to Iseltwald
Photos
Iseltwald
Again I am sitting on the balcony with the spectacular view of the vast majestic mountains overlooking the grandiose Lake Beinz. Instead the sound of waterfalls, there were the rustling waters of the Brienzersee crashing against the docks and shores below. The lake is enormous and, like their surroundings of immense and imposing landscape, calm and peaceful. Off in the distance, across the grand lake, we hear a French horn band playing an up-beat folk tune. Rana and I started the day in the rain. It was a bit chilly; however, we were grateful for its cool temperatures and refreshing rains as we rode and walked our bikes uphill.
Meringen Airforce
While on our way out of Meringen, we passed many small residential areas, and small farms and suddenly the air was filled with booms of plane engines from five over looming fighter jets above. One of the jets started to get bigger and bigger and closer and closer. At first we thought the plane was going to fly into the nearby mountains, and then we realized it was actually landing just a short distance away from where we stood! After the first plane descended a second plane came in for a landing, then a third and so on till all the planes landed. Rana thought it was the coolest thing he saw, especially when the landing runway and airport was just next to our biking trail. The planes crossed our bike path towards the mountains where a hanger door lift up from with in the rocky walls and the planes disappeared into the mountains.
“COOL!” Rana shouted.
I was able to find a movie clip from YouTube.com of the planes we saw. You could also see places and the landscape and lakes where we actually biked through. Swiss Airforce
Getting behind a waterfall
As we made our way up hill towards our next destination, we were rewarded with vast panoramic views of cities, lakes, and mountain-scapes. We also took a short break at a waterfall where we hiked up towards the falls by foot and walked behind the falling waters beneath the rocky ledge. The sounds of the crashing waters were roaring and beckoning us from the biking trails. There were walkways that crossed the falls and went behind the falling waters. The waters were frigid. The view looking out to mountain from behind the waterfall included a Victorian style architecture that seemed to sit on a rocky ledge at the bottom of the falls far off in the distance. It was a hotel and I imagined how romantic it would be to be married or honeymoon-ing there in a room with a spectacular view. I would also imagine one would not find the need to ever even leave the room! I could have spent a good part of the day exploring and hiking around the waterfall and Rana and I had it all to ourselves. We continued our journey, again uphill, from the waterfalls onto a rocky unpaved path where we were warned by a sign exhibiting a stick figure on a bike falling off a cliff. At the top of hill after god-knows-how-many-miles, we, once again, were not disappointed with our views. Not too far off in the distance, we can see a small town which sat on a crescent shaped peninsula which stretched out into the middle of the lake with a prominent traditional style chateau sitting proudly, as if it served as an emblem of the village, on the very tip the cape. It was Iseltwald! The town was quite small and consisted of several hotels, restaurants, abundant yet quite residential community, and one grocery store. The private home all had an arts-and-craft feel with small vegetable gardens and colorful flower in front of each building. Rana and I pretty much concluded Iseltwald to be a type of retirement community, not only because we saw a lot of “mature” people, but the only kids we saw there belonged to the tourists. Rana thought it would be a great place to retire, I, on the other hand, thinks I would eventually go insane out of extreme boredom; however, it is really a great place to visit. As for the prices of restaurant foods, two small glasses of non-refillable carbonated water costed us 11.50 suiss-francs. We wised up and decided from that point on to purchase foods from the local grocery stores which was substantially cheaper compared to eating out.
Our reservation was with the Strand Hotel and again, we were not disappointed with our room and view. Rana and I did enjoy our walks around the town, but not without a good shower and nap after our approximately two hour and predominantly uphill bike ride. Our buns were relieved to be sitting on practically anything other than a bike seat. As sore as we were, it didn’t keep us from sitting out onto our patio soaking in the spectacular views and sounds of the turquoise grandiose lake below, the mountains beyond, and blue skies above...even if it was drizzling outside.
5/10/07 – Switzerland Day 1: Meringen
Got off a 16 hour plane ride and onto a train for another 3 hours.
Photos
Meringen
Armed with only my meager high-school German and college-level French, Rana and I finally made our way, via the train, to our destination in Meringen which was also the starting point of our biking tour. Our first hotel stay was at Sherlock Holmes Hotel. The Reichenbach Falls was just walking distance behind our hotel. The waterfall itself was the very place that inspired Conan Doyle to end his popular Sherlock Holmes series by having the final struggle between the detective and his arch-enemy, Professor James Moriarty, and both plunge to their deaths down the waterfall. On my climb up to the waterfall, I turned to look over the city in the evening sun and took a deep breath in awe. The city was so peaceful and so beautiful to a point that almost seemed like a fictional setting for a fairy tale or a dream. The city nestled on a leveled and very green plain; however the edge of the city was instantly guarded and completely surrounded with massive walls of jagged peaked mountains. There seemed to be no gradual elevation from the flat plains to the mountains. I imagined the mountains and hills at one point of time suddenly decided to shoot up for the sky to preserve and protect this quaint little Swiss village.
As I write this blog entry, I am sitting in our private outdoor patio with an AMAZING view facing the grandiose, fantastic, unbelievably massive mounds of rocks covered in greenery with tall streaming mountain waterfalls. Large mountain waterfalls were not a rarity for this town. I had actually counted four great falls surrounding the village. Besides the one within our balcony view, there are two more in the mountains behind us and one in view from the main streets of downtown. I was able to walk up to the Reichenbach Falls, and the view on the way up of the city was magnificent, spectacular, and, like all views I’ve seen in Switzerland so far,…breathtaking! From above, the city sits on a very green valley. Traditional, rustic structures blended with local stores, restaurants, hotels, and local residences speckled the landscape, topping off the overwhelming beauty with sounds of splashing and running waters that can be heard through the town. The flat plains stretched across the parameters of city limits and the landscape suddenly shoots up in to powerful strapping forms accompanied by rolling green hills, eventually merging into massive snowcapped rocks that reached higher for the sky. The town maybe a bit quiet and small for us, city folks, but I don’t ever imagine getting tired of such sights and sounds. The weather was sunny and warm but its cool blowing winds made a jacket an essential. Despite our suffrage from jetlag, it didn’t restrain our spirits nor did it discourage us from exploring the town. We arrived into the city from Zurich on train. The train station at Zurich was just across the street from the airport. The memorable ride to Meringen was very scenic and filled with numerous enormous, boundless, crystallized bright blue and turquoise lakes, surrounded occasionally with clusters of small villages and back-dropped with picturesque green valleys with herds of grazing cows.
While on our way to Meringen, we were accompanied by a group of college students from India. Rana quickly befriended them because they were from a place nearby Rana’s home state. I presumed they may have found us a fascinating couple, due to our differing ethnic backgrounds. Rana told them he was living in the United States and introduced me as an American born Chinese (ABC) as well as his wife. Before we got off on our stop, they asked us to pose for pictures with them. I figured we have become a roadside freak show since we didn’t know them well enough to warrant a pose and a picture with them. I could only imagine what they would say about us to their friends and family when they show our pictures back in India. “This is what happens to you when you stray away from your family and homeland, they will marry just about anyone!” Rana told me as India’s economy progresses, more Indians can now afford to experience the wonders of traveling outside their country. Thanks to many popular Bollywood movies, Switzerland, which has served as locations for numerous Indian music videos and settings for movie daydreamers, has become one of the top “must see” destinations for Indians.
We walked from the Meringen train station through the town’s main streets to our hotel. Life here seemed simple and quiet except when interrupted by visitors, hikers, and bikers. As I sit here on the balcony during the dark early morning, I look up to the dark masses in the distance and I am still taken back by their immensity and surprisingly serene beauty. The food, so far was not too surprising thanks to my college French teachers, I was prepared and constantly had to remind my husband that we are not in America. He was a bit taken back by the prices and food portions. He also did not realize, unlike America, most of the businesses closed mid-day and early in the evening. One of the things we both can agree on and loved were the blissfulness of and desire for Swiss coffee. Swiss coffee, espressos, lattes, and many more, were creamy, thick, sweet, flavorful, and strong. They are magnificent!!! Also thanks to our frequent visits to Starbucks back at home, we were able to fork out the doe. The coffees ranged from 3.50 to 13.00 Swiss-francs a cup. The conversion rate was $1.14 per 1 Swiss-Francs.
5/9/07-Switzerland Day!!!
Photos
Washington D.C. Airport - Stop before Zurich
It’s 2:50pm, and Rana and I have been in the Washington D.C. Airport since noon, waiting on our next and final flight to Zurich, Switzerland which departs at 6pm. This will be an overnight flight and we are scheduled to arrive at Zurich airport by the next morning. I can’t tell you how clear-minded and relaxed I already feel at the airport terminal far, far away from the daily work, schools, agents, chores, and people in general. Rana slept and ate while I worked on my new pink 120 Sudoku puzzle book with my new pink Washington D.C. “Madame President” mechanical pencil. Sudoku, a Japanese number puzzle, has recently been my obsession. I keep telling myself the rules are simple and it shouldn’t be that hard. It still gets me on how challenging these little puzzles can get. I am determined to crack the Sudoku secret. Rana joked that I would be the next Sudoku-pani. The word pani means “the master of” in Sanskrit language, therefore Sudokupani means “the master of Sudoku”! As of now, I’m still breaking the “easy” level.
The weather in the United States have been mostly calm and clear throughout the country, however Switzerland have been forecasted for showers for the next 6-7 days. Nevertheless, I am keeping my spirits high and have been enjoying my quiet and uneventful time at the airport terminals. In this airport, there is a strong political theme of governmental parties concerning the upcoming (next year) presidential election. The airport shops were filled with Democrat and Republican playing cards, pencils, T-shirts, mouse pads, pens, magnets, bumper stickers, and key chains. There were some really cool “Barak Obama” and “Hilary Clinton” for president T-shirts however I have yet made up my mind on who I will ultimately support come Election Day. I tend to lean in with the democrats however the presidential candidates for the Democratic Party all have their pros and cons. In the end, if either gets into the White House I would be very pleased. Also at the airtpart, there were “White House” bath towels, hand towels, and an entire "White House" bath towel set that momentarily caught my eye. Then there were the “White House” toilet paper. Yes, you heard me right, it costed $7.99 for a roll to wipe your @$$ with it.
So that’s where all our tax money has been going to. Rana had asked if there were any “President George W. Bush Jr.” toilet paper for sale.
Home
The condo finally finalized but it didn’t go without a kick. My agent, who was great by the way, called it “the contract from hell”. The last week before the closing and processing date, the weather had accurately forecasted seven consecutive days of thunderstorms and rain. It was the week when Greenburg, Kansas was pretty much wiped out by 2 passing tornados, and 50 other tornados were spotted in overnight. Needless to say it “rained” havoc for moving day. My family -bless their hearts for helping, I would have never made it without their hard efforts and time- and I moved the remaining items and furniture two days in the rain…heavy rain. The buyers and their agent went through the home the second to the last day for their last walk through during middle of the day while my mother and I were in the mist of moving. We saw them leaving as we arrived from our second round of household transfers. Their agent had immediately contacted my agent complaining that the home was in an unacceptable condition. There were still items left in the home and she, the agent, felt the home was not clean enough. I was a bit frustrated that they came early to begin with and we were already working as hard as we could. I had stayed till midnight clearing out the home the night before the signing. The next morning my agent walked through the house before I signed the final papers at noon. The new owners were to finalize the sale by 1:00 pm. At 12:50 am, the buyer’s agent once again contacted us informing us that she had walked through the home once again and had found in still unacceptable. Because the contract had stated the home should be transferred to the new owners in a clean condition, she threatened to delay the signing till tomorrow if I didn’t do the following things:
Dust the window blinds
Scrub the basement floors
Do a better job cleaning the half bathroom
And on top of that, hire a cleaning service to go over the home, which was estimated another cost of $200.00
My agent was surprised and I was infuriated at this. My agent had seen the home and found it clean and my mother, who helped me clean, clean homes for a living. In a sense she was the professional cleaner. I told my agent that I was more than happy to purchase a toothbrush for her to scrub the basement floor to her delight. Joe, being my wonderful and very patient agent, resolved the problem by paying the buyers $100.00 of his OWN money to supplement the cost of a professional maid. I was grateful and I was drained of money. We knew the buyer’s agent was only getting revenge from before when I had initially rejected and terminated a counteroffer by them, which called for over $1000.00 of worth of conditions. In my opinion, it was one thing to look after the good of their clients; however, this particular agent was getting personal and unethical.
Now as I sit in the airport waiting to leave the country all those past events are not a blip on my memory screen. Switzerland here we come!
5/2/07 – Je suis fini!
Today was officially my last day of school for the semester as well as my graduate education. All that is left is a third and final course in French and the writing of my Thesis which I have already started as the final paper of my current course. I can’t tell you how liberating it feels to leave that classroom for the last time. Just a quick note, incase teacher reads this, I loved the course topics and it has given me inspiration for my thesis topic, which I had been struggling with in the past years. What I have gotten out of this education, was not only knowledge pertaining to my field of interest, but also many other valuable skills and networks. Over the years I have made contacts and maintained good relations to many curators and personnel in multiple institutions that can offer me valuable advice in guiding me through my career. Many of these contacts were established through classrooms, frequent uses of museum facilities during researches, and unpaid internships. On the subject of unpaid internships, ALWAYS do it!!! As I have learned one can never predict what will happen in the future. Albeit that I didn’t get the ideal job offer right away, however I have made many friends with similar interests and they have become the type of relationships one would love to keep for a life time. The entire experience has been rewarding both personally and professionally. During my educational career I have also developed a skill that I once had thought impossible. I have learned to write a good paper, and I honestly feel very proud of my work and I look forward to writing more. In the beginning, I have always had problems expressing my thoughts in writing. In business courses, we were use to keeping out emotions and just getting to the point with straight facts. One of the comments on my early art history paper stated that I was getting to the point too quickly and that my language was not “flowerily” enough. My reaction was like, “ What the…”. What I think she meant, now on hind sight, was that an art paper should be written with a sort of poetry in mind, or it should present itself like pleasant experience that carries readers through time as you share your story from your perspective. There should be some elegance embedded within the language along with a smooth overall flow from one topic to the next. A good introduction should spark interests of potential readings like creative wrapping paper of a gift and the conclusion like a ribbon that ties everything back together into a nice, neat package again. The competition of a well written paper becomes a “piece of art”. As the saying goes, “practice makes perfect”, I also believe writing web logs may have also helped improved my writing. It helps me practice in organizing my thoughts and expressing opinions on the topic I know the best…me.
Finding a compromise
As for my next career move, I had previously “blogged” about my situation in choosing careers. Ultimately, I have accepted the industrial accounting position in the city, however during my meeting with individuals of my ideal institution; we came up with an arrangement that would still allow me to maintain contact with them. Thanks to technology, I would be able to continue to contribute to the institution offsite during my free time. This way I will still stay in-the-know in the art world, and keep in contact with my new-found friends. With the flexibility and compromise, I feel I can now keep everything that is important to me, my friends, my passion, as well as an ability to maintain a stable lifestyle. As everyone has pointed out to me, everything happens for the best and I don’t doubt it anymore.
Lesson of the Day
Many things can happen during a lifetime of an individual. These events can all be good experiences as longs as we can keep them in perspective through our lives.
Here are the values of things to consider:
Missing party night to study an exam: a degree
Getting an education: several grand ($)
Getting a car and a home: several hundred grand ($)
Meeting people and making friends throughout your life: Priceless
4/28/07 – I jinxed it
I went in talking to my manager about my future with my ideal organization. For the past few months I had donated two months of my time helping out the place and the third month as part-time in a great office filling in due to unexpected events. I was really grateful of the opportunity and had made it my passion to help make it awesome. I had ideas, I developed databases, I studied new programs to help others, I reorganized the accounting office, and I felt like I finally fit somewhere. In the past I have always been the youngest person in the building and even the only female in the office. I really never had friends since coming out of college and when Rana worked at Garmin, we began to meet new people and made “couples” friends. We were invited to a coworkers' wedding and ski trip, and had regular game nights with other Garmin couples. Once Rana left the company, despite our request to stay in touch, no one invited me back for game night. Once I got into this organization, I felt that this was finally it. Everything seemed right. I was invited for trivia night and small gatherings. People came to my office and congratulated me on getting in, and the director told me they were thankful for me stepping in when they needed someone in short notice. I was going to have a "family" again. Not only that, I LOVED coming to work. No.. I couldn't wait to go to work. I went around telling myself that I loved what I do and along with that I will finally accomplish my goal of independence! Today, three months later, I decided to bring in some (2) potted plants from my home, since I was moving I didn't want to risk killing them during the transportation. The manager and I went out to the cafe to discuss my future with the organization. I don't really remember the details of what happened but I can tell you how I felt. Basically, I was told they had recently hired a full-time accounting personnel and that this individual was starting this Monday (3 days from now). "Fine" I thought I had prepared myself for this.
Then he said "We are kinda running out of space and he needs a place..ssssooooo..." his voice tapered off on that last word. A lump grew in my throat and I kept swallowing to hold it back. I kept my eyes on the wall paintings to keep my eyes from watering and overflowing. I was ready to leave by then, but he continued "You have been great and we would love to keep you part-time. I would hire you in a second if we had the money." and other things like that. The truth was, they had the money but they didn't want me. If I was not qualified for the position, they should not have commented me so much or tell me how awesome I was at what I do. "I really like your enthusiasm. You’re a great person.” He continued.
”Ok thanks.” I said. I hear these comments all the time and they don’t pay the bills. Again I was ready to leave, but he kept talking. “Do you like gardening?” During that moment I saw my future wilt away. The home I have been eyeing faded away, the friends I was making turned and walked away, and I saw myself standing in blackness with a spotlight over me. I was alone without sanctuary and no nest.
Rana kept telling me not to worry so much since this was not suppose to be my goal in life. But it was. I’m almost 30 years old and I still have yet found my place on earth, I need to feel I fit somewhere and I thought I had finally found it. I have always thought I was an intelligent individual, but what kind of intelligent individual am I if I can’t even get a decent job where no one is constantly yelling at me. In my last job, my boss demanded that I say “Hello Simon.” instead of “Hi Simon”. I refused. He told me to go out and come back in greeting him the correct way. I lightly smiled and told him he was being silly and that it was cold outside. He took my coffee from my hand and told me to walk outside and come again greeting him correctly or he doesn’t want me there that day. In shock I said in my calmest voice. “No Simon, I quit.” And it was the last time I stepped foot in that place. Later that day he had his wife write me an email telling me it was silly of me to have argued with Simon and had asked me to come back to the store and Simon “may consider listening”. The job before that had promised me a week vacation after one year of service. When it came time for me to cash in on a break they told me they’d made not such promise. In dismay I found not reason to stay. And the before that, I was blamed for the office’s computer system failure the morning after a major ice storm. According to the boss’s brother-in-law’s diagnosis, it was due to the fact that I was using short keys on my computer instead of the mouse.
What was worse about the entire ordeal, than being told that a job I really wanted was given to somebody else after three months of dedication to the organization, was that everyone saw me carrying my plants to my office. They may have thought “How silly of that girl to get comfortable.”
Then he said "We are kinda running out of space and he needs a place..ssssooooo..." his voice tapered off on that last word. A lump grew in my throat and I kept swallowing to hold it back. I kept my eyes on the wall paintings to keep my eyes from watering and overflowing. I was ready to leave by then, but he continued "You have been great and we would love to keep you part-time. I would hire you in a second if we had the money." and other things like that. The truth was, they had the money but they didn't want me. If I was not qualified for the position, they should not have commented me so much or tell me how awesome I was at what I do. "I really like your enthusiasm. You’re a great person.” He continued.
”Ok thanks.” I said. I hear these comments all the time and they don’t pay the bills. Again I was ready to leave, but he kept talking. “Do you like gardening?” During that moment I saw my future wilt away. The home I have been eyeing faded away, the friends I was making turned and walked away, and I saw myself standing in blackness with a spotlight over me. I was alone without sanctuary and no nest.
Rana kept telling me not to worry so much since this was not suppose to be my goal in life. But it was. I’m almost 30 years old and I still have yet found my place on earth, I need to feel I fit somewhere and I thought I had finally found it. I have always thought I was an intelligent individual, but what kind of intelligent individual am I if I can’t even get a decent job where no one is constantly yelling at me. In my last job, my boss demanded that I say “Hello Simon.” instead of “Hi Simon”. I refused. He told me to go out and come back in greeting him the correct way. I lightly smiled and told him he was being silly and that it was cold outside. He took my coffee from my hand and told me to walk outside and come again greeting him correctly or he doesn’t want me there that day. In shock I said in my calmest voice. “No Simon, I quit.” And it was the last time I stepped foot in that place. Later that day he had his wife write me an email telling me it was silly of me to have argued with Simon and had asked me to come back to the store and Simon “may consider listening”. The job before that had promised me a week vacation after one year of service. When it came time for me to cash in on a break they told me they’d made not such promise. In dismay I found not reason to stay. And the before that, I was blamed for the office’s computer system failure the morning after a major ice storm. According to the boss’s brother-in-law’s diagnosis, it was due to the fact that I was using short keys on my computer instead of the mouse.
What was worse about the entire ordeal, than being told that a job I really wanted was given to somebody else after three months of dedication to the organization, was that everyone saw me carrying my plants to my office. They may have thought “How silly of that girl to get comfortable.”
4/25/07 - Moving on to the Next Step
There are so many things I have learned over in just the past few weeks. I was sitting in class talking with my friend, Michelle, about my experiences in selling a home. She, herself have been through the process before, though it only took only two weeks, she could identify with me in the complexities that plays into the entire transaction. At the end of the day, she told me “Everything will all turn out fine. You don’t know how, but it all will just fall into place perfectly.” As much as I wanted to believe in the powers of positive thinking, it was difficult for me. There were, in fact, many many factors that played into this pot of confusion which I knew needed to be addressed. However, for the life of me, I had no clue to when and how to address them. This was impossible. Have I bitten off more than I can chew? This is coupled with the fact that money is running out, and I have yet been offered a job. I have no idea where to go after the house is gone. Should I stay in Kansas City or should I go? I have always prided myself in being an excellent multi-tasker, but things didn’t seem to want to budge no matter how hard I tried. “Believe me,” Michelle assured me, “Everything will be fine.”
Action on Switzerland…Finally
Ok, while I still have some money, I decided to make an executive decision to just “heck with it” and book the tickets to Switzerland. Granted the home was not sold yet, but I felt that things will not fall apart…too badly…if I had just stepped away for only a week. There will always be reasons why I should not go, whether the reason is the job, family, or finances; and delaying this trip will only delay all the other trips I had planned to explore. Incase you are wondering…Yes, I would like to visit more than one place within my lifetime. I have accepted the fact that timing will never be perfect and so with a giant leap of faith, I booked the tickets and made reservations for Switzerland.
News on the House
Not long after setting the trip for Switzerland, maybe a week, I sold my home. YES I SOLD MY HOME!!! All after about 30 viewings, 5 second visits, 3 supposed offers and 2 firm offers within a two month period. Amazingly, I didn’t just get an offer, but instead I have received two offers on the home. It was crazy how the timing of the offers came about, but because it came at the same time, I was able to make my decision with more confidence. Both offers in were extremes on either spectrums but the net amount is essentially the same. Offer #1 didn’t want any furniture and can close early. Offer #2 could only close on the home late in the summer but will pay in cash for all my furniture. With a firm offer and a signed back-up offer, I eventually decided on the Offer #1. Inspection week went well, and buyers were accepting the home in “as is” condition. I got want I wanted and am flattered that others appreciated the work I had put in the home.
Job News
I have not mentioned this earlier because I didn’t want to jinx any opportunities, but I feel I am along far enough that I should be ok. With respect I will not divulge any detail information that I feel should remain private. So I will be as brief as possible, I was offered a part-time position, with reasonable pay, to take over a position that had unexpectedly opened up. I’m not quite sure if I have any chance of getting a full time job with them and they had not indicated anything on that subject with any level of certainty. In fact they told me they were in the market for a full-time individual, it was obvious they were not going to offer it to me. It was kind of a slap in the face but I took the position and am grateful that I have an opportunity to prove them otherwise with their decision when comes their annual budget meetings. In general, I love my job, I love the people I work with, and I love the company I work for so I’m hoping I can hold out till they realize they love me.
Literally an hour ago, I received a phone call from a job hunter. I have been asked to go on an interview and I agreed hoping to get some experience in interviewing. The guy called me today to tell me the company had interviewed six people for the position and they decided I would be the best fit for the position. The position title is Accountant Controller, and I would be second in command of the company’s accounting division. The pay is what I asked for, plus bonus, and benefits. It would be nice to finally know how it feels to have health insurance. Hehehe. Before you get excited for me, I am certain I know what I want to do, though it seems like a hard decision it was a no brainer at an instant for me. I am going to turn down the offer. What is great about this offer besides monetary compensation is that I am guaranteed sable income and I would put an offer for another home! But the main factors that are swaying my decision are the following:
1. I am not passionate for the objectives of the company.
2. I don’t get a great feeling about the company’s history and future projections.
3. I don’t think I can learn much from the people who would be working with me.
Call me crazy and maybe I am, but I think I’ll be holding out for the “possibility” of a full-time job at my preferred organization. This may be a bad move on my part, but I am on the road of not settling for anything. I know what is important for me and I rather give it a shot than settle for what is put in front of me. I’ll have to let you know if it all works out. I can’t purchase a home until I get a stable income. In the mean time I will remain homeless or/and a wonderer. But I’m very happy with what I do for work…finally.
Things have been stressful but I can’t really say I don’t appreciate it. I am grateful for the decisions that cause me stress. Granted it is not great going through the health, eating, and sleeping problems associated to these stresses, but needless to say I’m glad I have them. Everything have been happening really fast and it all happened when I least expected it. There is a great side effect to all this, I have lost a lot of weight. For the next two weeks, I have to finish my final exams, my final papers, prepare for a final presentation, move everything out of my home, transfer gurulib to another server, sign away my house on the 7th of May, and leave for Switzerland on the 9th of May. I have decided to think about where I’ll be living next after I come back from Switzerland. After returning from my trip, I have a part-time, that I love, to return to. All that has happened has me thinking back to what Michelle had said to me just a couple weeks ago about how things tend to work out all on its own when it’s suppose to be. In all that has happened and how it all came together, I have to admit that she was right after all. It is amazing how everything can work out and you can’t help but think there is somebody “upstairs” watching over you.
Action on Switzerland…Finally
Ok, while I still have some money, I decided to make an executive decision to just “heck with it” and book the tickets to Switzerland. Granted the home was not sold yet, but I felt that things will not fall apart…too badly…if I had just stepped away for only a week. There will always be reasons why I should not go, whether the reason is the job, family, or finances; and delaying this trip will only delay all the other trips I had planned to explore. Incase you are wondering…Yes, I would like to visit more than one place within my lifetime. I have accepted the fact that timing will never be perfect and so with a giant leap of faith, I booked the tickets and made reservations for Switzerland.
News on the House
Not long after setting the trip for Switzerland, maybe a week, I sold my home. YES I SOLD MY HOME!!! All after about 30 viewings, 5 second visits, 3 supposed offers and 2 firm offers within a two month period. Amazingly, I didn’t just get an offer, but instead I have received two offers on the home. It was crazy how the timing of the offers came about, but because it came at the same time, I was able to make my decision with more confidence. Both offers in were extremes on either spectrums but the net amount is essentially the same. Offer #1 didn’t want any furniture and can close early. Offer #2 could only close on the home late in the summer but will pay in cash for all my furniture. With a firm offer and a signed back-up offer, I eventually decided on the Offer #1. Inspection week went well, and buyers were accepting the home in “as is” condition. I got want I wanted and am flattered that others appreciated the work I had put in the home.
Job News
I have not mentioned this earlier because I didn’t want to jinx any opportunities, but I feel I am along far enough that I should be ok. With respect I will not divulge any detail information that I feel should remain private. So I will be as brief as possible, I was offered a part-time position, with reasonable pay, to take over a position that had unexpectedly opened up. I’m not quite sure if I have any chance of getting a full time job with them and they had not indicated anything on that subject with any level of certainty. In fact they told me they were in the market for a full-time individual, it was obvious they were not going to offer it to me. It was kind of a slap in the face but I took the position and am grateful that I have an opportunity to prove them otherwise with their decision when comes their annual budget meetings. In general, I love my job, I love the people I work with, and I love the company I work for so I’m hoping I can hold out till they realize they love me.
Literally an hour ago, I received a phone call from a job hunter. I have been asked to go on an interview and I agreed hoping to get some experience in interviewing. The guy called me today to tell me the company had interviewed six people for the position and they decided I would be the best fit for the position. The position title is Accountant Controller, and I would be second in command of the company’s accounting division. The pay is what I asked for, plus bonus, and benefits. It would be nice to finally know how it feels to have health insurance. Hehehe. Before you get excited for me, I am certain I know what I want to do, though it seems like a hard decision it was a no brainer at an instant for me. I am going to turn down the offer. What is great about this offer besides monetary compensation is that I am guaranteed sable income and I would put an offer for another home! But the main factors that are swaying my decision are the following:
1. I am not passionate for the objectives of the company.
2. I don’t get a great feeling about the company’s history and future projections.
3. I don’t think I can learn much from the people who would be working with me.
Call me crazy and maybe I am, but I think I’ll be holding out for the “possibility” of a full-time job at my preferred organization. This may be a bad move on my part, but I am on the road of not settling for anything. I know what is important for me and I rather give it a shot than settle for what is put in front of me. I’ll have to let you know if it all works out. I can’t purchase a home until I get a stable income. In the mean time I will remain homeless or/and a wonderer. But I’m very happy with what I do for work…finally.
Things have been stressful but I can’t really say I don’t appreciate it. I am grateful for the decisions that cause me stress. Granted it is not great going through the health, eating, and sleeping problems associated to these stresses, but needless to say I’m glad I have them. Everything have been happening really fast and it all happened when I least expected it. There is a great side effect to all this, I have lost a lot of weight. For the next two weeks, I have to finish my final exams, my final papers, prepare for a final presentation, move everything out of my home, transfer gurulib to another server, sign away my house on the 7th of May, and leave for Switzerland on the 9th of May. I have decided to think about where I’ll be living next after I come back from Switzerland. After returning from my trip, I have a part-time, that I love, to return to. All that has happened has me thinking back to what Michelle had said to me just a couple weeks ago about how things tend to work out all on its own when it’s suppose to be. In all that has happened and how it all came together, I have to admit that she was right after all. It is amazing how everything can work out and you can’t help but think there is somebody “upstairs” watching over you.
3/1/07 - Weekend Offer
Over the weekend, I was told to be prepared by my agent, for a prospective offer on the home for the second time.
Nobody called.
I'm getting tired of keeping the home consistantly clean, preparing for any unexpected visitors at any time of the day. I really want to move on and live my life, " my way". Disorganized, disarray, chaotic, messy, clutttered, eyesore, slob, grubby...call it what you will. I like to refer it as a comfortable and easy-going lifestyle.
Despite all that has been going on, I went to the libary today to get some work done and found it easy to set my mind back onto track with school. It's like shifting gears in my brain... Thrusday, house; Friday, house; Saturday, house; Sunday, school paper.
Spring break is over and tomarrow morning, I'll attempt to recall my French.
Nobody called.
I'm getting tired of keeping the home consistantly clean, preparing for any unexpected visitors at any time of the day. I really want to move on and live my life, " my way". Disorganized, disarray, chaotic, messy, clutttered, eyesore, slob, grubby...call it what you will. I like to refer it as a comfortable and easy-going lifestyle.
Despite all that has been going on, I went to the libary today to get some work done and found it easy to set my mind back onto track with school. It's like shifting gears in my brain... Thrusday, house; Friday, house; Saturday, house; Sunday, school paper.
Spring break is over and tomarrow morning, I'll attempt to recall my French.
3/30/06 – Moving on with the Plan
Happy Birthday Hubby!3/25/07 – A Disappointing Moment
I’m totally bummed out. My agent had prepared me for a possible offer for Saturday. It was an elderly lady who was very interested in my home and had scheduled for a second showing on Saturday afternoon. I hung onto my phone every minute of the day from Thursday thru Saturday and jumped for it every time the phone rang from the guy standing or sitting next to me. The ring tone would be completely unfamiliar to me and I would still empty out my purse searching for that darn phone. “Be by your phone between 2:30 to 6:30. I should hear something from the buyer” said my agent. 6:24 the phone, MY phone, rang. Taken from the title of this entry, it was not good news. Turns out, the elderly had some reservations about the stairs in my home. I became more angry at the buyer than I was disappointed. It would have been better if her reservations were resulted of not-so-obvious-things such as a scratch on a wall which she did not see from the first visit. But the stairs? It’s one of the first things you see right when you walk through the front door! The stairs are certainly not a surprise and the fact that she is about 50 years old was not a surprise either. She had about fifty years to realize that fact. If she had any reservations about the stairs, she should have thought about it before putting everyone on alert armed with fully charged phones, supplying detail information regarding everything from home association fees to closing costs, and preparing legal contracts and files ready for signatures. As I heard the bad news from my agent, my heart dropped…no, it plunged. Do you have any idea how exhausting it is to go from excited, optimistic, and encouraged straight to depressed, hopeless, and dejected within an eighth of a second? It’s very exhausting on the spirit as well as the body. Not to be dramatic but I can still remember that very moment in slow motion, word by word and I could feel my smiling muscles relax to a frown. I saw a dark empty dingy elevator shaft and my heart zipping down with no emergency locking breaks. It landed in my stomach and bounced twice. What did she expect me to say about the stairs? “That’s ok ma’am, I’ll just remove them and install an elevator for you.” I know, I know, your probably saying “there will be another offer”. If you were also wondering, my husband is not much of a condolence or a comforting support during these depressing times. (To be frank he can be a selfish jerk at some times… and now is one of those times, which can be a whole other entry). The Hispanic family hasn’t contacted us either. I have had 4 “second” showings in the row just this weekend. Incase you don’t know what a “second” showing is, it is when the clients are considering the home more seriously and would like to take a second look before making an offer. And like the time when I had my first house showing, then the second, third...even four visits in one day…I’m beginning to get use to these “second” showings. On the bright side, at least we’re making some sort of progress. No problem, I consoled myself with a 10 piece KFC bucket of chicken, two family-sized side dishes, and a half gallon bucket of fruit punch, all for $15.99.
3/22/07- Food for Thought on Immigration
Today is Thursday and my Spring Break has officially started. My husband, sister, friend, and I are on our way to Rogers, Arkansas. “What’s in Arkansas?” everybody would ask. “Nothing really. Just Devils Den State Park and the Embassy suite hotel room for only thirty-nine bucks a night!”It’s a three hour drive from Kansas City to Rogers, AR, so needless to say my mind wonders a lot. This may be an automatic reaction of the mind to prevent it from constantly stressing out over the daily things that all too often will keep one up at night. I thought…wouldn’t it be cool to won a motorcycle in the city? The city market, farmers’ market and the riverside park all within walking distance. More like motorcycling distance. But what about saving gas and helping the environment? I know! I would get a hybrid motorcycle. No need to find a full parking spot. It could share with Sam (the car) or Sophie (the other car). The music in the car turned instrumental…I miss playing music…I really enjoyed playing the violin and piano during my high school years. Next year I could pick up the instruments and join an orchestra or even start up on piano lessons again. It would be great to be able to play more than two songs. Speaking of moving onto next year, it has been three weeks and two open houses later. There has been a steady stream of visitors, 17 in fact. On the second open house a Hispanic family came and expressed their interest in the home. According to the agent, they didn’t speak much English, but their agent informed him they were also interested in the furniture as well. Today they have scheduled for a second showing of the home. This will be my second “second” showing. However this time their agent expressed we should consider itemizing prices of my furniture. I should be expecting an offer sometime over the weekend. I, then, find my mind straying into “thank god for these people who are working hard for the American Dream”…and who things my home is it! This may sound selfish to say, but I can appreciate illegal immigrants. (The issue of illegal immigration came up on NPR yesterday, get it? “I heard it on NPR”) This is not to imply that the buyers were illegal immigrants but my mind happened to wonder in that direction, whilst I’m on my 3.35 hour drive. My mind was running out of things to think about. If it weren’t for them, I may not be able to sell my home (at this point I feel it would never happen), in effect, I would be able to move on. I began to realize all the negative that comes with the immigration there are also positives. Despite the infamous equation, low wages equals lower wages and quality of life for regular Americans; there is also another side of that equation. Low income jobs could also spark the country’s middle class economy. Legislations the government passed to supposedly allow people to pay less taxes, actually doesn’t have much of an effect on the middle class income. For example, congress passed a bill exempting dividend income as taxable income. People, like myself, doesn’t even have the money to purchase enough stocks to produce enough income to make any difference in their tax liabilities. Yes, you can guess what I’ll say next, these “tax breaks” often times benefits the wealthy. Extra people, in this scenario the immigrants, can help out the middle class. They will be the ones who will invest and work with the middle class. Take the sale of my house, for example, the well-to-do middle class would probably over look my home because they can stretch to purchase a newer structure and are willing to trade off for longer commutes. These immigrants will come in and fill in the gaps in the middle class (turned well-to-dos) and help boost the middle-class economy by participating in the supply and demand population. This, in effect, would help the middle-class, like myself, to move up in the economy and continue to build investments elsewhere. This is a very conflicting issue for me, being that I am a product, result (or whatever you like to call it) of illegal immigration (a story I’ll have to tell some other time) and also am living through the aggravations and hassles of the “lawful” AND EXPENSIVE immigration processes and red tape. If I were put in a position to come up with legislation in attempt to resolve this situation, this is what I would propose: I don’t believe either illegal immigrants or their offspring (who couldn’t control their illegal status) should be rewarded for breaking the law. The government needs to send out the message that if you want to break the rules there will be serious repercussions, not only to the individuals who committed the crime but also to their future generations. I’m not implying that deportation would be an effective solution; but it would only be fair to make these people “earn” their right to be in this country. Due to the fact that they tried to shortcut their way here, they should be subjected to strict qualifications and additional financial consequences associated with staying in the country just as the LEGAL immigrants did when going through the “system”. Examples of financial consequences would include higher taxes, strict or non-qualification for credit, loans, and education scholarships and grants. If they cannot make it with the strict regulations, they would be discouraged to come or encouraged to return to their country where they may have a better chance for a better life or at least encourage them to better their country through their processes, just as the Americans of the past, had fought did in the United States. I fully acknowledge that my life would not be close to what it is today, if not impossible, if my parents decided to stay and raise their family in a communist country. Being that said, I also believe that we should take care of the problem at hand, today. The past is done and gone, and the future is still malleable by what we do today. I would be saddened for those who may not get the chance to achieve and live the “American Dream” as my siblings and I have (and yet they many all be equally deserving of a better life), but I truly understand that living in this country is a privilege and our opportunities and freedoms should not be taken for granted. The country is suffering the consequences of illegal immigrant overflow, socially and economically. We need to recognize the fact that the country needs to put their citizens as the priority before tackling foreign issues, because only when the country has established a firm and stable foundation (a foundation of satisfied citizens and strong financial economy) only then, the United States would be capable of reaching out to other countries and serve as a strong foundation for them.
Mar. 10, 2007 - Day Before Open House
I. Day Light SavingsIt's the night before my first open house. I hope people will know to set their clocks forward and wake up on time to come to my open house. A lot of people noticed that this year the leep-forward-time-change is occurring about three weeks early. For those of you how are wonder why, according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar the previous year had a 13th month, therefore the sun is rising and falling earlier according to the day calendars. Rana’s explanation is that the government introduced early Day-Light savings in order to save gas and electricity by having the people utilize as much day light as possible. I, for some reason believe he’s right. II. Academic UpdateIt has been two weeks since I put the house on the market and it basically been uneventful. However, I did accomplish some academic goals. I have narrowed down to what I will be writing for my thesis, which it GREAT! Since I have started graduate school, I have always wanted to do something about Asian art. Since, UMKC did not offer any courses related to Asian art, my advisor advised against it. I think I have found my loop hole and it has captured my interest. I am currently taking a Decorative Arts class (instructed by Catherine Futter, Decorative arts curator of the Nelson Atkins Art Museum) and we have been discussing about furniture, utensils, pottery, ceramics, and etc. Our course paper has to be related to products, designers, and/or styles of the 19th and 20th century Europe or America. This is where I found my loophole in choosing to write about 19th century Asian-inspired French furniture. Dr. Futter liked the idea and I’m hoping I can expand this topic to my thesis. I am also fortunate to have Dr. Jeffrey Weidman (Senior Librarian for Public Services & Collection Development at the Nelson Atkins Library) to guide me in my research for my thesis. The resources can get overwhelming and Dr. Weidman has a nack in getting to the point and guiding me to the right direction. I have already started reading as many books and journal articles I could get my hands on about Asian furniture and rise of orientalism in Europe beginning in the 1800’s. Everything I have read so far has gotten me wanting to know more; hopefully this will result in a great paper. We will have to see, I will post the link to the paper on the blog as I complete it. As for French I’m still surviving. Si j’ai beacoup d’argent, je engagerais un traducteur de francias. If I had lot of money, I would hire a French translator.III. Plans for TravelSo far Switzerland is still on stand-by. But for Spring break, Cas (girl temporarily living with me) and I decided to take a break from Kansas City and go for a hiking trip in Rogers, Arkansas. If weather got bad, no problem, we reserved two nights at an uppity hotel, Embassy Suites. Can’t go wrong with that, especially at the special price of $39.00 a night, with complementary breakfast (the good kind, not the cheap continental stuff) and Manager’s Special (Unlimited cocktails). There are perks for people working for the hotels. We did some search online and figured Rogers, AR is a place where we both have not been to before and is worth visiting, as well as limiting our driving time to less than 10 hours. I am looking forward to hiking at the Devil’s Den.IV. Other PlansLately, I have been thinking a lot lately about purchasing another condo after the sale of this one. Since I don’t want to jinx the plan, I will have to tell you more about it, after the fact. Sorry, something’s must remain between God and me. :)III. House visits before open house My mother and I have gone through the house from top to bottom cleaning every nook and cranny. I am very happy with how the house looks and I almost wish I was staying here longer…almost. I have had people visiting my home about everyday since the listing. The first week there were four visitors. The first one came the day after the house was listed. I got really excited and thought, “This is it!” I tried really hard not to get excited. However after the second, third, fourth, (you get the idea) visits, it became routine. I clean the house everyday is if I was expecting visitors. The second week I had about 8 visitors with 1 returning visitor. 4 came through on Tue. 1 Wed. 2 Thur, and 1 Fri. I was surprised that no one came on Sat.Something strange did happen on Monday however. My back yard fence had apparently self combusted. You heard me correctly; my backyard wooden gate was on fire. Luckily, Cassia was at home and hosed it out. The ignition of the fire is still unknown to us and the position of the fire (now a burnt hole) was right on the door latches. Besides the location of the fire on the door, it is also strange since the weather was not hot nor dry enough, and Cas was home the several hours before the fire started. This decreases the possibilities of natural causes and intentional vandalism. During the middle of a clear bright day, Cas was in the living room painting and she noticed smoke in the corner of her eye. She immediately discovered it was the fence on fire and put it out. There was a chance that the fire could have taken up the entire home. The fire was flaming under a tree which was next to the house itself. It seemed like the fire had started on the out side of the door and just above or behind the metal latches. Some believed the cause were from vandalism from neighborhood kids, tossed out lit cigarette butts, and (according to Rana) pressures to weed out competition from local home sellers. A couple of college buddies and I could not keep a barbeque fire lit with a can of lighter fluid. Homosapians took sometime discovering fire. I guess my wooden gate is just smarter than us. V. My favorite part of today. I had started out the day thinking I would get some reading done and finish my French homework. As I sat at my computer eating my breakfast (a sandwich), Sister#3, the youngest sister, called me. “Do you know anything about sewing dresses?” she asked. Today was her prom day. My 2nd sister, insisted that she would make the prom dress to save some money. Sister#2 had 5 weeks advance noticed; however not surprisingly, she left to the last 2 weeks to begin the project. The night before, Sister#2 completed the dress for Sister#3’s first fitting, there were some alterations to be made. The next day, Sister#3 tried on the dress and found that further alterations were needed; however Pam had already disappeared to Arizona for a week. Apparently, Sister#2 and 6 other of her friends left for Arizona for a “job” that no one really knew about. With mom and dad out working, Sister#2 not around, and Brother not interested in dresses, Sister#2 called me. Better to be thought of last than not at all, right? “I’m sorry, I know nothing about sewing. Even if I went down there I don’t think I can help you with it.” I said apologetically. “Oh.” I heard on the other line. I suggested her to find a local tailor. I also made some phone calls but there was no luck with such short notice. I called her back and told her, we can just get her another dress at the mall in time for her hair appointment at her friends’ house. “I don’t have enough money to buy another dress.” her voice was soft this time.“Well that’s ok, we’ll find you a dress for now and I’ll take care of the rest.” I said. I was kinda relieved that she didn’t think of it herself. If you knew my family you would understand, but that is a whole other can of worms to spill later.“You can do that?” She asked, voice gaining a little more spirit. “What do you mean ‘can I do that’? Of course I can. I can do whatever I want.”Since I was coming in from another state (40 min drive) and with 3 hours time allotted, I suggested she get to the mall first and find what she liked while I made my way down. We spent the entire time at the mall going from one store to another. We were looking for a simple, short skirt (to the knees), gold colored dress. Sister#3 wanted to match her prom date’s gold-colored tie. Don’t ask me why, I don’t understand it either. We finally ended up at Macy’s and bless her heart, Sister#3 found this little gold dress stashed in the clearance rack. It retailed around $100 but was cut to $36. It almost seemed as if the dress had been waiting for her. It looked great on her. After purchasing the dress we looked for accessories. We caught up on what’s been going on with our families and friends and what’s up with ourselves. Men call it gossiping, women call it staying-in-touch. Sister#3 gave me whatever money she had and I used it get some drinks before parting ways for the day. I got frozen coffee and she got the coffee-free frozen fudge mocha.
Mar. 2, 2007 - A Convenient and Inconvenient Truth
I. A Start Off to My DayI started out the day very tired, very stressed, and in a very fowl mood. Last night, I was up, studying for today’s French test, till 3:30 am in the morning. Before that I have been cleaning and fixing up the house like a mad-woman and have been working on everyone’s tax returns and still have one remaining left to complete. I woke up at 9:30am, met with Joe, my real estate agent, by 10:00am to sign disclosure papers for a showing this Sunday. Today is Friday. French test started 12 noon, till 1:45pm and despite all that studying, I still managed to mix up the French words for ‘meat’ and ‘fish’! It took me 15 minutes to get to the museum internship which starts at 2:00 till 5:00pm. I fought rush hour home for about an hour (a usual 20 min drive) and have plans to visit a gallery opening later tonight. My husband has also come back from Rolla to visit me over the weekend, because according to him, he “missed me too much”. That in itself is quite stressful to me, due to the fact that he and an Australian Tasmanian devil have a lot in common. Not only does the man clean out my frig leaving me nothing for the rest of the week but condiments, but everything he touches he destroys. One common tragic site is the laundry room. I have lost a good deal of clothing to blue and pink discolorations and shrinkage, despite the countless times I have told him, “separate the whites from colors” and “don’t put sweaters in the dryer”. Being a consummate engineer, he tries to get me with the technicalities which would, often times, complicate and complex him, resulting in such blunders. “This is technically not white.” he said as he held up my favorite shirt, “It’s off-white. Does that make it in the ‘color’ or ‘no color’ category? You know, light beige is considered a color.” I finally reached home by 5:15pm and my husband showed me my toothbrush…in two pieces.“Your toothbrush suddenly broke on its own.” Not only that, my husband also informed me that he had just received a call from a real estate agent asking to see our home from 6-8pm. So for the next 45 minutes we again cleaned like mad-people. My frustration build as I kept an eye on the clock and the other making sure that Rana has not started a new task without finishing the previous one. I must say, I am be the last person on earth to ever describe myself as a perfect individual, at this point, I blew my top. Let’s just say, my husband likes to set his own work pace. I asked him if he had watered the plants in the morning. “No, I forgot”, he said. Then I asked him why are the cups and dishes (which he used) still sitting in the sink when we have a perfectly working dishwasher. “No, I was going to do that later”, he said. I asked him did you pay the car tax. “No, I don’t know where the bill is”, he said. Then I asked him did you throw away the junk mail. “No, I forgot” he said once again. I, then, expressed in a vociferously and discourteous manner which could all be summed up in one sentence…What the “gosh-darn-heck” have you been doing? *Let me also take a moment aside to recognize the fact that my husband did, once-in-a-blue-moon, contribute some (yet snippet in comparison) effort throughout the preparation stage in placing our home on the market. All the statements I have made above are, in fact, true; however the omission of my husband’s contributions for today is to aid in the understanding of my feeling and perception throughout this entire process in the past two months. Therefore, I will take this time to recognize what my husband did to help out today: swept the floors and un-caulked the edges of the bathtub. I hope you’re happy now, honey. :D* After having my first meal of the day, a slice of baloney with slices of bread on either side, we left the house by 6:00pm and passed the time at the gallery opening and McDonalds whilst we attempt, as civilized beings, not to pull each other to the dark side. In failed effort, as I was driving, I vented the fact that I have felt the home was both of our responsibilities and I had felt he had not worked up to his share of the responsibilities. Rana justified his lack of assistance as a consequence of his responsibilities to his higher education. So I did the ‘girl-thing’ and said, “Oh, are you saying that your degree is more important that my degree?” Then Rana did the ‘guy-thing’ and sang loudly with his fingers in his ears. I felt I was either going to burst from pent up frustrations or have a melt down from the heat of anger. I still have to prepare to lead a discussion in the coming up class, study for another French test for the coming week, and choose a paper topic for my courses, which I will be writing during the spring break. I also have to narrow down on my research topic for my thesis which will begin at the end of the spring semester. I pressured myself to do well in school. If I didn’t work hard, I won’t get good grades. If didn’t get good grades, I won’t get a good job. If I don’t get a good job, and I will be stuck…forever! AH and I still have tax returns to complete! And on top of that, I have a house to sell! As often times before, our conversations would end with me saying, “Honey, did you hear a word that I’ve said?”II. An Inconvenient Truth By the end of the day hubby and I called it truce and decided to relax with a movie, “The Inconvenient Truth” http://www.climatecrisis.net. It is an environmental documentary presented by should-be-president, Al Gore. It was recently rumored that Al Gore was considered for nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize and I truly believe he deserved it. Kudos Mr. Gore! Rana and I have always been environmentally aware and we have been slowly making steps towards the ‘Green’ way of life. We currently have two Priuses ( pl. Priora, Prii, Prius). We’ll come back to that topic later. Anyways, I never had given much thought about global effects other than a warmer earth. Perhaps like many others, I didn’t understand the magnitude of having a warmer planet. An image that has replayed itself over and over in my head since I saw the movie was of an animated polar bear swimming in the artic ocean. The polar bear swims toward a floating sheet of ice to get some rest. As the bear makes his initial attempts onto it, the sheet of ice would break into smaller pieces from the weight of its paws and the bear is forced to continue swimming in search for the next ice-landing. According to Gore, biologists have found polar bears drown in the ocean from fatigue. I realized that global warming didn’t just effect how often we would wear our winter coats, but also how delicate the natural ecosystem was. The change in seasonal weather effected Mother Earth’s plans from when plants and flowers bloom to when insects and birds hatched. During normal seasonal temperatures, the peak number of caterpillars hatching from cocoons coincided with the time of when chicks begin to hatch from their eggs. The caterpillars become a food supply for the new generations of birds. Due to the early occurrence of warmer weather in the year, the population of caterpillars peaked two weeks earlier and the cycle of chick hatchings have not been able to adapt to their change of food supply. In the past few years we have seen strong storms devastating countries all over the world. Records of hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, snow fall, and heat have been broken in the past decade. Here’s global warming in a snap: Iceburgs act as reflectors to the sun’s heat. As the planet temperature rise, the ice begins to melt. The absence of heat reflectors will concentrate heat into the ocean waters. The ocean water naturally absorbs the heat. Natural ocean current systems cycle the heated waters into other regions of the earth, causing a general increase in planetary temperatures. As temperature continues to rise, rates of evaporation increases. Increases in evaporation not only affect bodies of water but also on land causing massive droughts. Animals, including humans, will lose their water sources, in affect lose other natural resources, therefore lose the ability to sustain themselves, and ultimately lose their homes. Increase of evaporation from land and water, as many of us have witnessed, leads to stronger winds, rainfall, snowfall, tornados, and hurricanes. The relocation of water, snow, and rainfall in one part of the world will cause extreme heat waves in other parts. Humans continue to sustain themselves and protect themselves from natural disasters and harsh weather with the use of earth-unfriendly products and leading earth-unfriendly lifestyles, therefore contributing to the thickening of the ozone layer. The thickening of the ozone layer consequently retains more heat coming from the sun! So as you can see, it’s a devastating cycle!!! Diseases are reintroduced into the population when it was once retained by the natural freezing temperatures that would kill certain animals and insects responsible for spreading diseases such as the Avian Flu, SARS, and the West Nile Virus. For example, small towns and villages have been built on the mountains where temperatures most of the year have been too cold for mosquitoes. Post global warming, temperatures in these towns and villages have allowed the mosquitoes to migrate further up the mountains. Vice Pres. Gore has also addressed the issues of politics playing in the role of the environment. Popular myth projects politicians required to choose between the good of the earth and the good of the economy. I agree with Vice Pres. Gore when he said, that the statement need not to be true. There are many benefits of choosing ‘green’ and still be successful with it. Architects are building consulting firms specializing in ‘green’ design. Universities, such as University Missouri Rolla, receive funding for ‘green’ projects - http://sunhome.umr.edu/. ‘Green’ structures often results in lower costs and frequencies of maintenance. Toyota, a Japanese auto company, perfected the hybrid engine which for a few years could not keep its cars on the showroom floors long enough for anyone to see. As consumers of ‘green’ products, we will benefit socially, by reducing wasteful use of materials and costs, and financially, from current government program and tax incentives. Besides that, when we live the ‘green’ way, we will find joy in knowing that we have, in a small way, made a contribution towards a cause which will benefit future generations, thus creating a positive cycle in motivating us to do more when we can. In short, I would like to respond to former pres. George Bush Sr.’s response to environmentalists in the government during the Clinton-Gore administration, when he said “[the administration] would have us up to our neck in owls and put Americans out of work.” That is simply not true. During the Clinton-Gore administration, the economy was booming with record budget surpluses, 22 million new jobs, and a 30-year-low unemployment rate (1). My instinctive response is: (and I must emphasize this is strictly an opinion of a single individual, with no party or political influence what-so-ever, exercising an inherent constitutional right) “George Bush(es) you’re a jack @$$.” III. What we can doMy husband and I have always wanted to build a “green” friendly home and I have been doing some reading on being ‘green’ and building ‘green’. I could list down of things we can do to the environment but I feel there are better resources on the net that can give a better response towards the ‘green’ goal. These are two of my favorite ‘green’ resources.Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy- http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/ Not So Big House - http://www.notsobighouse.com/ I will also tell you about the benefits of owning a hybrid vehicle (particularly the Prius) come tax season. This is the part where tax nerds and Prius fanatics should listen up. I’m going to tell you the benefits I have discovered in owning an earth friendly vehicle.For Federal Tax credits for hybrids - http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/tax_hybrid.shtml The federal government has allowed tax payers to claim tax credits for purchasing a hybrid car. The requirements are that the vehicle must be a new purchase. A used hybrid car would not apply because the previous owner had already taken the credit for the vehicle. Also to qualify for the hybrid tax credit, you must purchases the hybrid at a certain period of time specified in the tax form instruction. The amount of credit is determined when the vehicle was purchased. The make and model also affects the amount of credit you’ll receive depending on the model’s efficiency. For example, prii, or priuses, purchased within the year 2006 before Sept. 30, 2006 will qualify for credit amount of $3,150. Purchase periods begin to fade out there after into March 2007 from 50% to 20% of the full credit amount. The credit fadeout was implemented by the government to prevent favored treatment towards a particular motor company. To claim the credit, fill out and attach with your federal return, a Form 8910 Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit. Consult your financial advisor for more details.Some states have also implemented their own hybrid tax credits. Bad news Missourians, I have not found one. Great news Kansasians, you have one. What’s even better, the credit applies to all vehicles placed in service dating back to 1996! For Prii, fill out form K-62 (http://www.ksrevenue.org/pdf/forms/k-62.pdf ) and worksheet 2. If you have another make and model hybrid car, you will have to read in the form instructions to find out if your car qualifies under the Kansas definition of alternative-fueled vehicle. I simply called the Kansas Corporation Commission at (785) 271-3170 and asked if my car qualified for the credit. I was told not all hybrids on the market would qualify. The Prius did qualify under the category of ‘Factory-equipped alternative-fueled vehicle’ fill out Section 2. In section 2, fill out columns (A),(B),(C), (D). Fill out the following for the remainder columns: (E) “B” for bi-fuel, (F) “E” for electric, (G1) “0”, (G2) “0”, (H) “0”, and (I) “$2,400” the amount is determined from the schedule in the form instructions, according to weight of the vehicle. Any unused credits can be rolled forward into future years till it’s used up. Again, consult your financial advisor for details.IV. The Convenient TruthTruth became inconvenient when it became an obstacle in the plans of the rich and powerful. That is the reality. We, as inhabitants, have the moral responsibility to take care of our home. Earth is a gift not a right. The movie displayed a picture of earth amongst neighboring planets and stars. Earth compared to the galaxy is miniscule. Then it hit me, we as man kind are relatively small. Questions arise, why are we here, what is our purpose in life? Although I don’t have the answers to them…I have come to a postulation that the daily routines, social status, accumulation of wealth and fame are insignificant to our existence. How many people have spent and wasted a lifetime in the pursuance of happiness? Could the answer be in front of us all this time? Nature, earth, peace, beauty could be our answer, but we will never know once it is destroyed. Thinking back to my life, tests, reports, interviews and everything else that comes with the city race, suddenly don’t stress me out. Al Gore’s inconvenient truth as become a convenient truth for me. It is sad that that it takes a global crisis to make me put things in my life in perspective. If the earth is small compared to everything else that exists with it, then my problems and perceived stresses is even smaller. I asked myself, why stress over it? I went back to school not because I wanted to be rich (in fact accounting and finance often times make more money than many art related occupations). No, I went back to school to study what I’m interested in…Art. I enjoyed the beauty of music and visual arts and I wanted to take a step further with it. I should not stress out over school but should enjoy the topics we discuss in classes. The degree is just a pleasant by-product of an education. As for the sale of the home, I am very grateful for having a home to sell in the first place. If something as big as the earth can be fragile, what other things are fragile around me? My health, my relationships, my time on earth? Degrees, money, houses, are all aid to accomplish a common goal, happiness. Next time when I’m faced with the decision to either spend time with my husband or working late into the night, this time around the decision won’t take me long to make. I turned to my husband and asked him, “What did you think of my revelation?”He looked back at me, “That just means we have to be persistent as mosquitoes.”“Honey, did you hear a word that I’ve said?”(1) Learsy, Raymond J.“A Perfect Storm Is Developing Around Energy Policy: Friedman on TV, Gore in Our Gut.” The Huffington Post (Mar 3, 2007). HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. viewed 3/3/07
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